Ending the Fossil Fuel Industry is the only credible path for climate policy.
Around the world, countries and companies are setting net-zero carbon emissions targets. But what will it mean if those targets are achieved? One possibility is that fossil fuel companies will continue to produce billions of tons of atmospheric CO2 while relying on a symbiotic industry to scrub the air clean. Focusing on emissions draws our attention away from the real problem: the point of production.
The fossil fuel industry must come to an end but will not depart willingly; governments must intervene. By embracing a politics of rural-urban coalitions and platform governance, climate advocates can build the political power needed to nationalize the fossil fuel industry and use its resources to draw carbon out of the atmosphere.
Holly Jean Buck is an Assistant Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York. Her book After Geoengineering: Climate Tragedy, Repair and Restoration explores best and worst-case scenarios for climate intervention.
"This book belongs in every classroom, community center, and protest site where fossil fuels are mined, processed, transported, or burned – which is to say everywhere."
– Billy Fleming, author of Drowning America
"Rare is a book like this that can offer such a clear and accessible overview of the multifaceted engineering, political, economic, and cultural challenges we face. A crucial text."
– Matt Huber, author of Lifeblood: Oil, Freedom, and the Forces of Capital
"Buck’s brilliant weaving of the political, technological, and economic complexities cuts through the hedging and posturing and shows how to actually avoid climate disaster."
– Benjamin Bratton, author of The Revenge of the Real
"Considered, beautifully written, and mindful of the many actors at play in shaping our planet. Most importantly, it foregrounds the importance of ensuring frontline communities’ prosperity in our future economy."
– Antonia Jennings and Eleanor Radcliffe, Stir to Action