Extract from our new publication ‘Power.’

Creatures that had been dead for hundreds of millions of years would suddenly come alive again. Tiny plants and animals that floated in the ocean, more multitudinous than anyone could comprehend, which over time had died, sank to the ocean bed, were buried, crushed, melted, compressed and simplified as the aeons passed.

Right now they are the drivers of civilisation. They have the power to power humanity, and we have the power to exploit that. Their bodies form substances so revered that we’re willing to suck the planet dry than leave them to slumber in the deep. They power almost everything, are sprayed on fields, they polish our shoes and are wrapped around our foods, electronics and vehicles. Their collected remains are dragged to the surface, mixed, stretched and reshaped again to suit every one of our needs.

But imagine if they exploded back into life in an instant. A pair of spindly antennae peeking out from an ocean oil spill. Other miniscule eyes and claws would soon escape the darkness to find a world that was warmer, but quite like the one they had left.

Tankers that had contained thick, flammable liquids and volatile gases would suddenly begin to slosh and churn with millions upon millions of miniature sea creatures. Colourful algae and energetic plankton would erupt from pumps and launch out of engines everywhere. Plastics would wriggle back into life, roads would squirm and die, cars would sputter and stop in the road as they collapsed inside and out.

And what if other fuels changed back too? Coal power plants would suddenly be filled with ancient trees with their mighty branches breaking through the pulverising mills. Governments chasing dwindling reserves of natural gas would find only swathes of primeval ferns, mosses and fungi.

In this unexpected burst of life many would not make it back to their habitat, confined as they would be to pipes, whirring motors and metal tanks. But the effect on people would be the same in most places. So much of what we rely on these days would change completely.

The people who once pushed fossil fuels, and the people who made use of their exploits, would lose everything. We’d recall in horror how we all created a world where we foolishly relied on a few resources and fell for the allure of convenience and greed. Our actions had no consequence, we thought. We didn’t think. We were seduced by a charming few who held all the power, influence and money. It had been a pyramid scheme, we’d realise. “Do as we say,” they told us, “and we’ll give you energy forever”.

But one lie is enough to question all truths.

In a world where fossil fuels returned to life overnight we’d be the shit hitting the fan. What would we burn for energy now? How would we carry our shopping home? What would we paint our homes with or play ball games with? How would we mend the potholes in our roads? Would the creatures someday turn back into oil for us to use up again? Would we look elsewhere to power our activities or would we seek to change how we are as a species?

This content originally featured in the magazine Power, which is free to download here: http://bit.ly/CRIN-Power