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Since Confederation, Canadians have been high per capita energy consumers and our appetites for energy have grown substantially over the past 148 years. The way we consume energy has changed quite a bit over that time period too. In 1867, Canadians drew energy primarily from organic sources: animal labour, wood, and agricultural produce. Since the mid-twentieth century, we have drawn increasingly from mineral sources of energy: coal, crude oil, and natural gas.

This shift in energy consumption since Confederation has arguably been one of the most consequential changes in Canadian history. Energy history is an emerging field in Canada, but one with long historiographical roots. To learn more about Canadian energy history and the development of this new approach to thinking about environment, history, and society, this episode features a round-table discussion with three Canadian historians each of whom were part of an energy history working group at the University of Toronto in 2014-15.

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Guests:

Steve Penfold
Ruth Sandwell
Andrew Watson

Works Cited:

• Evenden, Matthew. . Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2015.
• Jones, Christopher F. . Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2014.
• McNeill, J. R. . New 91ÑÇÉ«: Norton, 2000.
• Unger, Richard W., and John Thistle. . Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, 2013.
• Wrigley, E. A. . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
• Wrigley, E.A. . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Music Credits:

• by Martijn de Boer
• by Stefan Kartenberg
• by Jeris feat. Snowflake

Citation: Kheraj, Sean. Nature's Past: Canadian Environmental History Podcast. 24 November 2015.

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Sean Kheraj
Associate Professor
Department of History
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