Andreas Malm - On Fossil Capital and Climate Activism (11 books)

* Andreas Malm - On Fossil Capital and Climate Activism (11 books)

ANDREAS MALM (b. 1977) is a prominent Swedish human ecologist, activist, and author whose published work serves as a foundational pillar for contemporary radical climate thought. As an Associate Professor of Human Ecology at Lund University, Malm bridges the gap between rigorous academic theory and militant environmental activism. His scholarship fundamentally critiques global capitalism, positioning it as the driving force behind the escalating ecological crisis. By analyzing the historical, economic, and philosophical roots of climate change, Malm challenges mainstream environmental discourse and advocates for more disruptive, confrontational tactics within the global climate movement.

Malm first gained widespread international recognition with his groundbreaking book, FOSSIL CAPITAL: THE RISE OF STEAM POWER AND THE ROOTS OF GLOBAL WARMING (2016). He meticulously traces the transition from water to coal power in nineteenth-century British industry, demonstrating that the shift was not driven by energy scarcity or the superior efficiency of steam, but rather by capital's need to control and discipline labor. He expanded on this theoretical framework in THE PROGRESS OF THIS STORM: NATURE AND SOCIETY IN A WARMING WORLD (2018), where he critiques post-humanist and hybridist philosophies, arguing for a renewed Marxist materialism that clearly distinguishes between social relations and natural forces.

Shifting his focus toward active resistance, Malm published his highly provocative and widely debated manifesto, HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE: LEARNING TO FIGHT IN A WORLD ON FIRE (2021). He argues that pacifism and peaceful protest are no longer sufficient to combat the climate emergency, calling for a tactical escalation that includes the strategic property destruction of fossil fuel infrastructure. This work ignited intense global conversations about the ethics of sabotage and was subsequently adapted into a major narrative film. In tandem with this tactical pivot, Malm also addressed immediate global crises in CORONA, CLIMATE, CHRONIC EMERGENCY: WAR COMMUNISM IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY (2020), where he connects ecological destruction to the spillover of zoonotic viruses like COVID-19 and proposes a centralized "war communism" model to rapidly dismantle the fossil fuel economy.

Malm’s later publications dive into the intersection of corporate power, right-wing politics, and geopolitical conflict. In WHITE SKIN, BLACK FUEL: ON THE DANGER OF FOSSIL FASCISM (2021), co-authored with the Zetkin Collective, he analyzes the alarming alliance between far-right ideology, racism, and the preservation of fossil capitalism. He further examined the systematic failures of global governance in OVERSHOOT: HOW THE WORLD SURRENDERED TO CLIMATE BREAKDOWN (2024), which details how political and market mechanisms have consistently delayed essential climate targets. Malm expanded his critique of imperialism and resource extraction in THE DESTRUCTION OF PALESTINE IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE EARTH (2025), a sharp analysis linking colonial violence, military devastation, and the historical development of Western "fossil empires". Most recently in THE LONG HEAT (2025), Malm and co-author Wim Carton issue a scathing critique of proposals to geoengineer our way out of climate disaster.

Through this dense and interconnected body of literature, Malm has completely reshaped the landscape of environmental philosophy and activism. His work forces readers to confront the reality that mitigating climate change requires more than individual lifestyle choices or market-based solutions. By consistently linking ecological survival to the structural dismantling of capitalist and imperial structures, Malm provides a comprehensive, uncompromising framework for understanding and resisting the current planetary emergency.


The following books are in ePUB and/or PDF format as noted:

* Corona, Climate, Chronic Emergency (Verso, 2020) – ePUB
* The Destruction of Palestine Is the Destruction of the Earth (Verso, 2024) – ePUB
* Fighting in a World on Fire (Verso, 2023) – ePUB
* Fossil Capital (Verso, 2016) – ePUB
* How to Blow Up a Pipeline (Verso, 2021) – ePUB / PDF
* Iran on the Brink: Rising Workers and Threats of War (Pluto, 2007) – PDF
* The Long Heat: Climate Politics When It’s Too Late (Verso, 2025) – ePUB
* Overshoot: How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown (Verso, 2024) – ePUB
* The Progress of This Storm: Nature and Society in a Warming World (Verso, 2018) – ePUB
* White Skin, Black Fuel: On the Danger of Fossil Fascism (Verso, 2021) – ePUB

== EDITOR ==

* Has It Come to This? The Promises and Perils of Geoengineering on the Brink (Rutgers, 2021) – PDF


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