The science on climate change has been clear for a very long time now. Yet despite decades of appeals, mass street protests, petition campaigns, and peaceful demonstrations, we are still facing a booming fossil fuel industry, rising seas, rising emission levels, and a rising temperature. With the stakes so high, why haven’t we moved beyond peaceful protest?In this lyrical The science on climate change has been clear for a very long time now. Yet despite decades of appeals, mass street protests, petition campaigns, and peaceful demonstrations, we are still facing a booming fossil fuel industry, rising seas, rising emission levels, and a rising temperature. With the stakes so high, why haven’t we moved beyond peaceful protest?In this lyrical manifesto, noted climate scholar (and saboteur of SUV tires and coal mines) Andreas Malm makes an impassioned call for the climate movement to escalate its tactics in the face of ecological collapse. We need, he argues, to force fossil fuel extraction to stop—with our actions, with our bodies, and by defusing and destroying its tools. We need, in short, to start blowing up some oil pipelines.Offering a counter-history of how mass popular change has occurred, from the democratic revolutions overthrowing dictators to the movement against apartheid and for women’s suffrage, Malm argues that the strategic acceptance of property destruction and violence has been the only route for revolutionary change. In a braided narrative that moves from the forests of Germany and the streets of London to the deserts of Iraq, Malm offers us an incisive discussion of the politics and ethics of pacifism and violence, democracy and social change, strategy and tactics, and a movement compelled by both the heart and the mind. Here is how we fight in a world on fire.
How to Blow Up a Pipeline: Learning to Fight in a World on Fire is a 2021 book by Swedish author and academic Andreas Malm. The book argues that in order to prevent catastrophic climate change, it is necessary to engage in sabotage and other forms of direct action against fossil fuel infrastructure.
Malm's book is a controversial one, and has been praised and criticized from both the left and the right. Some have argued that his call for violence is justified, given the urgency of the climate crisis. Others have condemned his tactics as counterproductive and dangerous. Regardless of one's position on the matter, there is no doubt that How to Blow Up a Pipeline is a thought-provoking and important book that is sure to generate debate.
In the book, Malm argues that the climate crisis is not simply a problem of emissions, but also of power. He points out that the fossil fuel industry is one of the most powerful industries in the world, and that it has a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. As a result, Malm argues that it is necessary to take direct action against the fossil fuel industry in order to force it to change its ways.
Malm's book has been praised by some environmental activists, who see it as a call to action. However, it has also been criticized by some environmentalists, who argue that Malm's tactics are counterproductive and dangerous. They argue that violence will only alienate the public and make it more difficult to build support for climate action.
Despite the controversy, Malm's book has been a bestseller, and it has helped to raise awareness of the climate crisis. It is a book that is sure to continue to generate debate for years to come.
