What did George Bailey and Bedford Falls teach us about energy and civilization—and what did Watt think about it?

Frank Capra's it's a wonderful life is one of cinema's most enduring classics, a sentimental and profound exploration of how one man's contribution impacts an entire community. In an alternate timeline of the story, George Bailey never existed, painting a grim picture of what life would be like without his sacrifice. Inspired by this story, let's imagine a different kind of alternative reality – a world where fossil fuels never existed. Will we, like George's Bedford Falls, find ourselves in a global Portersville? Let’s explore how the scarcity of fossil fuels affects the fabric of our lives, from our economic systems to our daily conveniences, and why this thought experiment is crucial to evaluating the ongoing calls to abandon these energy sources.

Scenario 1: Fossil fuel-free transportation

One of the most obvious impacts of fossil fuels is their role in modern transportation. Cars, planes and ships – all powered by gasoline, diesel or jet fuel – would disappear in a world without fossil fuels. In this alternate reality, traveling would require more time and effort than hopping in a car to visit friends or family on vacation. Trains powered by steam or early electricity would exist, but in limited capacities. Without affordable, high-energy fuels like gasoline, only the wealthiest people could afford luxury travel.

Imagine Bedford Falls, now a vast Portersville, without the bustling roads filled with cars. Residents likely still relied on horses and carts to navigate the dirt roads. Traveling to neighboring communities to purchase necessities takes days instead of hours. Think of the iconic scene of George Bailey running across town to save buildings and loans—here, he slogs through a muddy path, unable to reach the townspeople in time.

Scenario 2: Industry and employment

In real Bedford Falls, George Bailey helped provide affordable housing through construction and lending. In our world without fossil fuels, affordable housing itself is an almost impossible dream. Industrial processes – construction materials such as cement, steel and glass – all rely heavily on fossil fuels. Without them, the building envelope would revert to pre-industrial techniques: wood, stone and a limited number of bricks.

The manufacturing jobs that underpinned the prosperity of Georgian America's middle class would never exist. Small workshops may produce handmade products, rather than large factories that produce goods for regional or global markets, which are slow and expensive. The residents of Bedford Falls could not afford manufactured goods and had to rely on subsistence or barter. The hard-won prosperity that George had fought for in his community would be replaced by a subsistence existence.

Scenario Three: Agriculture and Food Supply

The impact on agriculture is another obvious area for transformation. Modern agriculture relies on machinery powered by fossil fuels and natural gas to synthesize fertilizers. In a world without these advances, agriculture would be labor-intensive, with productivity similar to the subsistence farming of the 18th century.

George's Bedford Falls grocery store Gower's may only sell a small selection of locally grown vegetables and grains. Foreign imports such as bananas or coffee, enabled by transportation powered by fossil fuels, would cease to exist. Seasonal shortages will be a stark reality, and even minor droughts or floods can lead to famine. For the people of Bedford Falls, food security would teeter on the edge of disaster, and George Bailey might find himself not at a construction loan company, but toiling on a small farm to feed his family.

Scenario 4: Healthcare

George Bailey's alternative reality without fossil fuels would also strip away much of modern health care. Consider this: Medical equipment, emergency care transportation, and pharmaceutical production all rely heavily on fossil fuels. Petrochemical derivatives are needed for everything from life-saving antibiotics to syringes and IV bags.

In our imaginary world, Dr. Campbell in Bedford Falls does not have the resources to provide more than basic care. A polio vaccine that relies on complex manufacturing and distribution chains will not exist. Mortality rates from childbirth, infections and injuries will soar. Angel Clarence may discover that George's absence is compounded by the deaths of friends and family members who, in the real timeline, could have been saved by modern medicine.

Scenario 5: Daily life without modern conveniences

Let’s zoom in on a typical day in Bedford Falls. Without fossil fuels, there would be no central heating with oil or gas. Residents would chop firewood or rely on coal (coal itself is a finite resource in this hypothetical situation). If there is electricity, it will come from hydropower or, in the early days, wind power, leaving the grid incomplete and unreliable.

The Baileys' home was lit by candles or kerosene lamps, and George struggled to read the financial ledgers after dark. Mary might cook on a wood-burning stove, and meal preparation would take several hours. The unsung hero of modern life, the refrigerator, will cease to exist, forcing people to salt, smoke or can their food to preserve it – a time-consuming and imperfect solution.

Picture the residents of Bedford Falls bundled up in layers and huddled together for warmth in the winter. Without fossil fuels, their living standards would regress to pre-industrial levels, with just survival consuming much of their time and energy.

Scene 6: Educational exchange

Education, the backbone of social prosperity, will also be affected. Without cheap, reliable energy, schools would be dimly lit, unheated, and poorly equipped. Instead of attending school regularly, children may be required to contribute to farming or the family business. Advanced subjects such as chemistry or engineering are nearly impossible to teach without modern tools and materials.

Communications would revert to handwritten letters delivered on horseback. Word would travel slowly, and international communications would become a rare luxury. The residents of Bedford Falls were cut off from the outside world, living in isolation and unable to benefit from shared knowledge or cultural exchange.

Scene Seven: Environmental Irony

Advocates for divesting from fossil fuels often highlight their environmental harm. However, in a world without them, we would see a different kind of environmental degradation. Without synthetic fertilizers, agricultural expansion would consume vast tracts of forest to meet basic food needs. Using wood for heating leads to widespread deforestation, and without modern environmental regulations, primary industry could still pollute waterways.

Ironically, while fossil fuels have undeniable environmental costs, their absence does not guarantee a pristine state for the planet. Instead, we will be faced with the paradox of massive localized environmental destruction, the result of humanity's desperate attempts to compensate for the loss of high-energy fuel.

chain reaction

Like the absence of George Bailey in Bedford Falls, the absence of fossil fuels will spread outward, reshaping every aspect of human life. The conveniences and advancements we take for granted today—from air travel to advanced medicine—are built on abundant, affordable energy. Ignoring this reality, as implicit in much climate policy, could plunge modern societies into energy poverty, similar to George's grim alternative timeline.

While it is popular to dream of a future powered by renewable energy, these energy sources face fundamental limitations. Wind and solar energy are intermittent, land-intensive, and rely on fossil fuel supply chains for manufacturing, transportation, and installation. Imagining a world without fossil fuels is not just a hypothetical, it is a warning against the hubris of dismantling systems without fully understanding the consequences.

Conclusion: Remembering our George Bailey

exist it's a wonderful lifeGeorge Bailey realizes that his sacrifice and hard work were not in vain—they built a community that thrives because of him. Likewise, fossil fuels have been the “George Bailey” of the modern world, powering our transition from subsistence to affluence.

As we face the challenges of energy policy and climate change, we should learn lessons from Bedford Falls. Rather than demonizing the energy sources that build our world, we should seek balanced solutions that preserve the benefits of modernity while addressing real environmental concerns. A world without fossil fuels looks idyllic in the abstract, but in practice it resembles a dystopian Portersville—harsh, impoverished, and unrecognizably desolate.

Fossil fuels like George Bailey's are far from perfect, but without them our modern “good life” would never have happened.

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