The New Dark Age

Ecosocialist Bookshelf is hosted by Ian Angus. Books described here may be reviewed at length in future. Inclusion of a book does not imply endorsement, or that C&C agrees with everything (or even anything!) it says. Climate & Capitalism has received review copies of some of these books, but we do not receive any payment for reviews or for reader purchases.

Stuart Gillespie
FOOD FIGHT
From Plunder and Profit to People and Planet
Pegasus Books
The food system is making us sick. From its origins in colonial plunder, through the last few decades of neoliberalism, the system now lies in the tight grip of a handful of powerful transnationals whose playbook is geared to profit at any cost. We need a new system that gives us hope for a future of global health and justice.

J. Roberts, C. Milani, J. Jacquet, C. Downie, editors
CLIMATE OBSTRUCTION
A Global Assessment
Oxford University Press
International experts document obstruction efforts by fossil fuel industries, utilities, the transportation sector, agribusinesses, public relations firms, and organizations on the political far right, showing that as climate action becomes globalized, efforts to obstruct it have become more deceptive, widespread, well-funded, and dangerous.

Liam Shaw
DANGEROUS MIRACLE
The Astonishing Rise and Looming Disaster of Antibiotics
Simon & Schuster
The discovery of antibiotics was one of humanity’s greatest achievements — but every time we use them, we undermine their future effectiveness. Antibiotic resistance shows how easily bacteria have been able to undo human progress. If we want antibiotics to have a future, we need to prepare to adapt accordingly. And fast.

Tara Lohan
UNDAMMED
Freeing Rivers and Bringing Communities to Life
Island Press / Princeton University Press
Across the US, more than 500,000 dams block and divert major rivers, preventing passage for fish and other aquatic animals, pushing many to the brink. Lohan makes the case for dam removal after centuries of dam-building, arguing that restoring rivers improves water quality, enhances public safety, and boosts fish populations.

Andy Haines & Howard Frumkin
PLANETARY HEALTH
Safeguarding Human Health and the Environment in the Anthropocene
Cambridge University Press
Environmental changes that threaten to undermine progress in human health, affecting health outcomes, from pandemics to infectious diseases to mental health, from chronic diseases to injuries. Adaptation isn’t enough: we need transformative changes across many sectors — energy, housing, transport, food, and health care. The authors discuss specific policies, technologies, and interventions needed.

Chris Smaje
FINDING LIGHTS IN A DARK AGE
Sharing Land, Work and Craft
Chelsea Green Publishing
Arguing that both state and market have failed, Smaje advocates “distributionism” — models of collective organization where land and capital are seen as a common good that involves a widespread and secure redistribution, and a moral economy founded in ideals of justice.

Mark Z. Jacobson
STILL NO MIRACLES NEEDED
Today’s Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air
Cambridge University Press
Do we need ‘miracle technologies’ to solve the climate crisis? Jacobson argues that existing technologies can harness, store, and transmit energy from wind, water, and solar sources to ensure reliable electricity and heat supplies. Second edition includes new technologies and real-life case studies.