Bad Energy

We are living through the most extreme ecological crisis in human history. Green energy and renewables are heralded as the only way to mitigate this ever-worsening disaster. But that’s not the whole story. In Bad Energy, award-winning journalist Joshua Frank argues that the green energy transition is driven not by an effort to save the planet but by profit incentives. We must stop burning fossil fuels if we have any hope of saving the planet, but the significant expansion of green energy we have seen in recent years—from large solar projects to wind energy to mining for renewables—has destroyed communities and ecosystems. And worse, renewables simply cannot match our ever-expanding demand for energy, driven by the rapid proliferation of data centers in the world’s wealthiest nations. Taking readers from copper mines in Montana and Bolivia to wind farms in Wyoming to the geopolitical battle over deep-sea mining in the South Pacific, Bad Energy offers a stark assessment of the costs of the rush for renewables and the demand for endless growth. As Frank makes clear, we cannot simply consume our way out of climate chaos. What we need instead is rejection of the capitalist interests driving planetary collapse and a radical vision for a truly sustainable future. Provocative and deeply reported, Bad Energy encourages readers to question capitalism’s approach to climate action, challenge the broader systems driving biodiversity degradation, —and to fight for communities and lands most impacted by rapid green energy development.