In his book The New Abolition, Chris Hayes draws a provocative parallel between the modern transition from fossil fuels and and the historical abolition of slavery in America. The challenge is truly staggering: in 1860, 400,000 Southern slaveholders faced the total loss of their “property” and economic base. Fast forward to 2014, and the fossil fuel sector sat upon at least $10 trillion in wealth. Hayes argues that it is nearly impossible to find a precedent for such a massive economic upheaval other than abolition. It took a bloody civil war for the United States to free its slaves, but the British abolitionists accomplished this through legislative action rather than armed conflict.