by Viv Forbes with help from volunteer reviewers, and Steve Hunter, Cartoonist.

Version 2 June 2016

When man first appeared on Earth he had no implements, no clothes, no farms, no mineral fuels, no machines and no electricity – his only tools were his brains, hands and muscles.

Everything that enables humans to live comfortably in a world where nature is indifferent to our survival has been discovered, invented, mined or manufactured over thousands of years by our inquisitive and innovative ancestors.

The history of civilisation is essentially the story of man’s progressive access to more efficient, more abundant and more reliable energy sources – from ancestral human muscles to modern nuclear power. It is also the story of how to store that energy and
deliver it with minimal losses to where it is most needed.

There are seven big steps on the human energy ladder –

1. Stone age energy…