ABSTRACT
The steam engine evolved in a partnership with coal. The function of the steam engine was to convert the solar energy stored in coal into the kinetic energy of a moving piston by means of heat and the expansion and contraction of steam. The Neocaloric Revolution progressed through two phases. During the first phase, coal and steam enabled the movement of food across greater distances via steamship and railroad and thus made possible the exploitation of more distant lands for food consumption in Europe, a process that was an integral part of colonialism. The second phase was marked by the more intensive exploitation of land by the application of gasoline-powered equipment to actual food production. In the process, the partnership of coal and steam raised global change to a new level of complexity and speed. The pace and scope of global change increased to the point where individuals could note marked transformations in the span of one lifetime.
