The carbon pulse is a one-time energy bonus that humans have been enjoying since the discovery of fossil fuels. It is, as the word 'pulse' implies, extremely temporary and transient. It is hard to imagine our lives without fossil fuels, but this has been the norm for most of human existence. The following graph by Nate Hagens shows how much of a historical anomaly the carbon pulse is. We are currently somewhere between the blue and red stars. ![[Carbon pulse.png]] No one knows what's going to happen after all this free energy is exhausted. But it looks very likely that the future will have much less energy than the present, and it would seem prudent to begin adapting to energy-scarcity. One prediction is that we will have to begin valuing human labour as an energy source to a much greater extent than we do now. In fact, it may become our primary energy source, after solar energy, and unless we take intentional steps to design more equitable systems of harnessing human energy, we may see a return to the systems of slavery that have arisen in our past.