Slavery, fossil fuel use and climate change: past connections, present similarities

What is the connection between the abolition of slavery, the
Industrial Revolution, the use fossil fuels and climate change?
Jeff Mohout of Birmingham University recently discussed this
question in an article in the journal Climatic Change. In this
episode of the podcast Mohout presents his idea that that slaves
in the past and fossil-fuelled machines at present play similar
economic and social roles: both slave and modern societies
externalised labour and both slaves and modern machines freed
their owners from daily chores. Consequently, modern society is
as dependent on fossil fuels as slave societies were dependent on
bonded labour. Mohout also suggests that, in differing ways,
suffering resulting (directly) from slavery and (indirectly) from
the excessive burning of fossil fuels are now morally comparable.
The pocast concludes with some suggestions of the lessons which
may be learned from the abolition of slavery in the 19th century
for dealing with modern climate change and the associated energy
transition.