A review by boithorn
Fossil Capital: The Rise of Steam Power and the Roots of Global Warming by Andreas Malm

4.0

Really stellar analysis. I think the structure is initially off-putting because Malm goes so hard on the history of the adoption of steam (compared to alternatives) in the first half of the book, but it lays the groundwork for his analysis of contemporary problems with capital and climate change. I particularly like how he challenges assumptions on the types of emissions American industry is responsible for (forcing other countries to produce goods and emissions for our consumption) and how a vast centralization of the economy by state is the only thing that can actually address climate change.