Is there a path to our level of civilization without fossil fuels? And if not, doesn't that prove no advanced civilizations existed on Earth before us?
I recently became aware of speculation that a pre-Ice Age human advanced civilization could have existed. It was kind of fascinating to watch a video on it. Almost all the evidence was a discussion of how time would erase all evidence. Most interesting was the notion that UFOs are really ancient human drones still operating. So support one speculation with another speculation. Bravo.
But it did get me to wondering. If such a civilization existed, how did it get its energy to create a civilization? I mean, we keep finding and exploiting new sources of fossil fuel because our technology gets better. But we clearly got the easy stuff long ago. And fossil fuels don't renew over a period of tens of thousands of years.
So if fossil fuels are a critical bridge between burning wood and advanced "green" energy production, you'd think a past civilization would have used up the fossil fuel--or at least the most easily retrieve fossil fuels--and left us with no coal and oil easy to reach with early industrial age technology.
So I asked ChatGPT a question:
explain how human civilization could have advanced to our current technology level if no fossil fuels were available. Could other sources of energy propelled industrialization until solar, wind, water, and nuclear power for electrical generation could become the primary source of energy?
And this is what it gave me:
/BEGIN CHATGPT/
If fossil fuels were not available, it would have certainly posed challenges for human civilization to advance to our current technology level. However, it's important to note that human ingenuity and the need for progress often drive us to find alternative solutions. While it might have taken longer, it's plausible that other sources of energy could have propelled industrialization until solar, wind, water, and nuclear power became the primary sources of energy for electrical generation. Here's a possible scenario:
Early dependence on renewable energy: In the absence of fossil fuels, humans would have relied heavily on renewable energy sources right from the start. This could include direct use of wind and water power for mechanical tasks such as milling, pumping, and transportation. Humans have historically used windmills and watermills for such purposes, and these technologies could have been further developed and optimized.
Biomass and biofuels: Without access to fossil fuels, biomass and biofuels could have played a crucial role. Biomass, such as wood and agricultural waste, could have been used as a primary source of heat and energy for cooking, heating homes, and some industrial processes. Biofuels derived from organic matter, such as vegetable oils and alcohol, could have been used for transportation.
Technological advancements and diversification: As societies progressed, advancements in engineering, materials science, and other fields would have continued. This could have led to the development of more efficient and diverse technologies for harnessing renewable energy. For example, early versions of solar collectors could have been developed to harness sunlight for heating and limited electricity generation.
Exploration and utilization of other energy sources: Without the easy availability of fossil fuels, humans would have been incentivized to explore and exploit other energy sources more extensively. Geothermal energy, which harnesses heat from the Earth's interior, could have been tapped into for heating and electricity generation. Tidal and wave energy could have been used in coastal regions, while the potential of harnessing the energy of ocean currents might have been explored.
Nuclear power: As the understanding of nuclear physics advanced, nuclear power could have emerged as a significant energy source. Research and development into nuclear fission and fusion could have been accelerated without the overshadowing presence of fossil fuels. This could have led to the earlier adoption of nuclear power plants as a primary source of electricity generation.
Technological leap to renewables: With a greater focus on renewable energy, the research and development into solar, wind, and water power would have been prioritized. Scientists and engineers would have worked towards improving efficiency, storage, and scalability of these technologies. As a result, solar panels, wind turbines, and hydroelectric power plants could have been developed earlier, becoming the primary sources of energy generation.
It's important to note that this scenario is speculative, and the actual path human civilization would have taken without fossil fuels could have been different. The absence of fossil fuels would have certainly presented challenges, but it would have also accelerated the development of alternative energy sources due to the necessity of finding sustainable and environmentally friendly options.
/END CHATGPT/
Is this plausible?
Could humans have committed so much to cultivating biomass before fossil fuels provided concentrated and plentiful energy? Could that path have created an industrial revolution and paved the way for an agricultural revolution?
Or could the path have been selective breeding of plant species over a longer period of time to replicate that kind of growth in output?
Hey, maybe ancient Teslas with lots of potato batteries?
And maybe this path doesn't allow for a population explosion, leaving a small footprint on Earth.
The path relies on different advances early but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen without the easier path of fossil fuels to propel industrialization.
Of course, one has to ask why this path might have been taken instead of using the easier fossil fuel path.
Could a past vanished civilization have existed where we don't find fossil fuels now? Maybe that means the easy fossil fuels path was taken by the past civilization, explaining why fossil fuels aren't in some places today. It was just in a more narrow area and then that civilization abandoned fossil fuels early--or died out in some cataclysm--leaving plenty in some areas for our current civilization to use.
If there is no evidence possible on Earth, might we find evidence of an advanced civilization on the Moon where the elements would not erase and bury the evidence? Or elsewhere in the solar system?
Of course, would we believe it was evidence if it wasn't a giant structure? Or just seem like more nonsense?
Or would we assume space aliens and not humans left the artifacts?
And if we don't find evidence where it would last long enough elsewhere in the Solar System for us to discover it, does it prove no advanced civilization existed on Earth? Undercutting the argument that lack of proof on Earth is kind of sort of evidence it existed?
But if the path is plausible regardless of whether it happened here, maybe distant aliens could have followed that path. What would that mean for their signatures to detect them?
Funny enough this notion of prior but now erased advanced civilizations must be pretty old given that my dad once mentioned this idea to me when I was a kid.
NOTE: The image was made with DALL-E.
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