A Little-Told Story – Watts Up With That?

By Vijay Jayaraj

After enduring the media’s daily fantasies about the climate crisis, consider the fact that your children and grandchildren will not only survive but thrive in a world that benefits from a warmer climate and higher atmospheric CO2 concentrations.₂ and countless scientific discoveries and innovations.

In the annals of human history, few, if any, periods have witnessed such profound and rapid progress as the period from the mid-20th century to the present day. The transformative power of human ingenuity—coupled with the exploitation of natural resources, especially coal, natural gas, and oil—has driven remarkable progress.

Some important indicators of human development are life expectancy, access to clean water, reduction in mortality from disease, restoration of natural habitats in developed countries, advances in transportation, increased productivity, and general improvement in living standards.

In 1950, global life expectancy at birth was a modest 46 years. By 2021, that figure had increased to 73 yearsmarking an increase of nearly three decades over a person’s lifetime. In 1950, 63% of the world’s population lived in extreme poverty. By 2018, that figure had plummeted to less than 10% while the global population tripled.

Nutrition has improved dramatically. Concerns about global food security were widespread in 1950. Today, food production has kept pace with population growth. The Green Revolution, fueled by fossil fuel fertilizers and mechanized farming, has helped agricultural productivity increase by 175% over the past 70 years.

This extraordinary achievement is the result of a convergence of many factors, many of which can be traced back to the use of fossil fuels to scientific advances and widespread electricity supply.

The petrochemical industry, a byproduct of fossil fuel refining, has played a major role in the development of pharmaceuticals and medical devices. From the plastic tubing used in intravenous fluids to the synthetic materials used in prosthetic limbs, the fingerprints of hydrocarbon derivatives are everywhere in modern medicine.

Access to clean water, a prerequisite for health and social development, has increased dramatically since the mid-20th century, when only a small proportion of the world could count on access to clean water. Today, according to the World Health Organization, more than 70% of the population enjoy healthy water service.

The development of modern plumbing, fueled by the mass production of pipes and fittings (often derived from petroleum products), brought clean water directly into the home. This seemingly simple advancement has had profound effects on public health, personal hygiene, and the overall quality of life.

Contrary to popular belief, the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century have seen an extraordinary recovery of natural habitats in many developed countries, particularly in the United States and Europe. In recent decades, even rapidly growing and populous economies such as India and China have seen an increase in forest cover and even the resurgence of some once-endangered wildlife species.

The rise of the automobile transformed society, giving individuals unprecedented freedom of movement. Global logistics networks, powered by diesel engines on ships, trucks and trains, enabled the creation of complex supply chains that brought a wide variety of goods to consumers at ever-decreasing costs.

In 2019, 4.5 billion passengers travelled on commercial air services. The advent of the jet engine, powered by petroleum, shrank the world, enabling millions of people to travel internationally and facilitating global trade on an unprecedented scale.

Powered by fossil fuels, machines have largely replaced manual labor in agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, dramatically increasing output per worker. This increase in productivity is the engine of economic growth, allowing more goods and services to be produced with fewer resources.

While life expectancy in Japan reaches 85 years, in some African countries it barely exceeds 50. The development paths of these countries must inevitably use the same forces that drove the progress of the West in the 20th century. Access to abundant, reliable energy is paramount. The role of fossil fuels in this process cannot be overstated.

The story of human progress since the 1950s is inextricably linked to the exploitation of fossil fuels and our ever-expanding scientific understanding. As we look to the future, we must build on these foundations, pushing the boundaries of innovation.

This commentary was first published at Washington Times on July 1, 2024.

Vijay Jayaraj is a research associate at CO2 AllianceArlington, Virginia. He holds a master’s degree in environmental science from the University of East Anglia, UK and a postgraduate degree in energy management from Robert Gordon University, UK.