Is there such a thing as good energy? That’s the question that Joshua Frank poses – and seeks to answer from environmental, political and economic perspectives. Combining front-line reporting on US energy generation with commentary on the global drift towards renewables capitalism, Bad Energy sets out to challenge the naïve assumption that if we ‘drive electric cars and plug in different appliances – we could save the planet’. Frank intends to reach ‘people who mean well but have not considered alternatives beyond capitalism’.
An experienced environmental journalist, the author’s previous books have addressed the shortcomings of Barack Obama’s presidency, rising global temperatures and the havoc wreaked by plutonium production in Washington state. Bad Energy draws on the strong hinterland provided by Frank’s previous work. It begins with the California landscape ablaze in the opening months of 2025. Reflecting on life at the coalface of climate change, Frank emphasizes that the ‘fire season’ is here to stay – and getting worse each year.
