Without mostly free, accessible energy, we will mostly go back to the 18th/early 19th century, except we will have a better comprehension of how the world work and will be able to cut down risks and inefficiencies from back then. Fossil fuels will peak this decade (except for coal). Fossil fuel in the northern sea already peaked in 2005 for the gaz and 2007 for oil. Fossil fuel production in Africa already peaked, and last year, Russia warned that they probably reached their peak production in 2019. The war isn't helping, but we already were grasping at straws.
Energy was never free. Oil and coal are quite expensive to extract and handle, just less than other alternatives at the time. Fortunately, renewables are now cheaper than those ever were.
Without mostly free, accessible energy, we will mostly go back to the 18th/early 19th century, except we will have a better comprehension of how the world work and will be able to cut down risks and inefficiencies from back then. Fossil fuels will peak this decade (except for coal). Fossil fuel in the northern sea already peaked in 2005 for the gaz and 2007 for oil. Fossil fuel production in Africa already peaked, and last year, Russia warned that they probably reached their peak production in 2019. The war isn't helping, but we already were grasping at straws.
We have no economy without mostly free energy.