Joshua Frank
@joshuafrank.bsky.social
Journalist. Montana kid. Editor http://CounterPunch.org. Author of the forthcoming 𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 (Haymarket Books). Co-Host CounterPunch Radio.
Thus far in 2026, California has experienced its warmest year on record, and no corner of the state has been spared.
Vampire Planet: California's Water Wars Rage On
LA’s early diversions nearly destroyed Mono Lake, which lost half its volume and dropped 45 feet. Toxic dust began to swirl, and gulls’ nesting grounds disappeared. It wasn’t until the mid-1970s that ...
counterpunch.org
Last day for this preorder bundle! We will have a limited number of shirts in store afterwards, but order now to make sure you get the size you want. @counterpunchmedia.bsky.social @haymarketbooks.org
Pilsen Community Books@pilsencommbooks.bsky.social · last mo.We've teamed up with @counterpunchmedia.bsky.social for a limited edition shirt designed by @toosphexy.bsky.social to mark the release of Josh Frank's Bad Energy, out September 8th from @haymarketbooks.org www.pilsencommunitybooks.com/bad-energy-p...
We've teamed up with @counterpunchmedia.bsky.social for a limited edition shirt designed by @toosphexy.bsky.social to mark the release of Josh Frank's Bad Energy, out September 8th from @haymarketbooks.org www.pilsencommunitybooks.com/bad-energy-p...
The UK Green Party’s former leader Caroline Lucas recently nailed the Labor Party for “burying the most explosive report” of the year by UK military and intelligence sources.
The Most Shocking Climate News of 2026
The UK Green Party’s former leader Caroline Lucas recently nailed the Labor Party for “burying the most explosive report” of the year by UK military and intelligence sources. The concealed report warn...
counterpunch.org
Ready for a good news story? It was great talking with @joshuafrank.bsky.social and Erik Wallenberg of @counterpunchmedia.bsky.social about the amazing benefits of free-flowing rivers #Undammed #damremoval @princetonupress.bsky.social @islandpress.bsky.social www.counterpunch.org/2026/07/24/f...
Freeing Rivers w/ Tara Lohan
On this episode of CounterPunch Radio, Erik Wallenberg and Joshua Frank talk with journalist and author Tara Lohan about her new book, Undammed: Freeing
counterpunch.org
Billionaires! They've invaded Montana, and it's not turning out well. www.counterpunch.org/2026/07/24/v...
Vampire Planet: The Billionaire Invasion of Montana
If you have a flair for the ostentatious, the Yellowstone Club, the ultra-elite billionaires’ colony in Big Sky, Montana, may be for you. You’ll get to rub shoulders with titans of tech and capital li...
counterpunch.org
www.counterpunch.org/2026/07/17/v...
Vampire Planet: What the Story of China's and Australia's Solar Success Gets Wrong
In the first quarter of 2026, China’s emissions grew by 2%, largely due to wasted wind and solar energy. That said, even if China has made alleged gains in fossil fuel emissions, it’s still far from c...
counterpunch.org
🦋 Trump signs an EO slashing Bears Ears today. But don’t look at Utah in isolation. Last week, the White House targeted the Smithsonian for hosting "stolen land" narratives. Censor the history in museums to justify repeating it on the ground. My analysis: open.substack.com/pub/jacqueli...
The Erasure Strategy: Why the White House Attacks on the Smithsonian and Bears Ears are the Same War
Utah politicians celebrate as the executive pen prepares to slash our monuments this afternoon—while the administration works to erase the history of how they got the land in the first place.
open.substack.com
“There’s no silver bullet for the mess we’re in, and we’ll never save the planet, let alone humanity, until we reckon with the forces behind its destruction, starting with the crooks on Wall Street.” @joshuafrank.bsky.social
CounterPunch@counterpunchmedia.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe amount of materials needed to sustain an electrified future at the world’s continued pace of economic growth is as remarkable as it is troubling. By one estimate, at least 384 new mines will be needed by 2035.
The amount of materials needed to sustain an electrified future at the world’s continued pace of economic growth is as remarkable as it is troubling. By one estimate, at least 384 new mines will be needed by 2035.
Vampire Planet: Killing in the Name of ... Climate Change
It’s dry, hot, and windy. The dust is swirling. My buddy Colby and I are in the heart of the blazing Mojave to visit California’s most expansive open-pit mine. Owned and operated by the Australian min...
counterpunch.org
THE MOST BOTCHED IMPERIAL WAR On this episode of CounterPunch Radio, Erik Wallenberg and Joshua Frank sit down with Gilbert Achcar to discuss Israel, Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, and the most botched US war ever. www.counterpunch.org/2026/05/22/t...
The Most Botched Imperial War w/ Gilbert Achcar
On this episode of CounterPunch Radio, Erik Wallenberg and Joshua Frank sit down with Gilbert Achcar to discuss Israel, Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, and the
counterpunch.org
The case for letting Malibu flood:
Vampire Planet: The Case for Letting Malibu Flood
The first major swell of the year pummeled Southern California this week, and onlookers flocked to ritzy Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach to watch adrenaline junkies attack the Wedge – a mutant wave ...
counterpunch.org
"We are in this land of scorching sun and heat, searching for a large Amazon solar installation in rural San Bernardino County, California. This is the home of the endangered desert tortoise and Joshua trees, but more recently, it’s become a plaything for greedy Silicon Valley entrepreneurs."
Vampire Planet: Data Centers, Far Bigger Disasters Than You Even Thought
The road is dusty and trash-strewn. My friend and collaborator Colby Groves is hanging out the car window as I drive, gazing at a patchwork of solar panels lined up behind a chain-link fence. “This ha...
counterpunch.org
"The working-class community of Garden Grove is experiencing the consequences of our violent and unhinged war machine, a predicament they paid for but never wanted." - @joshuafrank.bsky.social
Vampire Planet: So Cal’s Chemical Disaster, a Gift from the War Machine
The news alerts were ominous. A chemical tank at an industrial site in Garden Grove, fifteen miles south of where I live, could blow at any moment. A nervous Orange County Fire Captain warned of two p...
counterpunch.org
Every El Niño that’s hit in recent decades has been hotter than the last, and this one will no doubt be on trend. Scientists are worried that this 9,000-mile freight train of warm water will be the most severe we’ve seen in over 150 years.
Vampire Planet: When the Oceans Die
Ocean temperatures have been steadily rising. As someone who spends a lot of time in the ocean, I can attest that it has been exceptionally warm this year. And the data backs it up. Surface temperatur...
counterpunch.org
We often laud China for its boom in renewable energy projects, but seem to ignore the fact that it’s still building coal-fired power plants at a faster pace than any other country.
Vampire Planet: China's (Green) Economic Imperialism
We often laud China for its boom in renewable energy projects, but seem to ignore the fact that it’s still building coal-fired power plants at a faster pace than any other country. Experts are questio...
counterpunch.org
Had a great time talking climate politics, activism, repression, and my book with @joshuafrank.bsky.social and Erik on @counterpunchmedia.bsky.social www.counterpunch.org/2026/05/08/n...
No Option But Sabotage w/ Thomas Zietzoff
On this episode of CounterPunch Radio, Joshua Frank and Erik Wallenberg are joined by Thomas Zietzoff to talk about his new book, No Option But Sabotage
counterpunch.org
Carbon dioxide levels just hit a new record of 431 parts per million. Some of you may remember that 350 was the safe upper limit for atmospheric carbon. Oh, how times have changed.
Vampire Planet: Cyanide Bombs and a "Shark Tank" Data Center
Let’s start with the bad. Carbon dioxide levels just hit a new record of 431 parts per million. Some of you may remember that 350 was the safe upper limit for atmospheric carbon. Oh, how times have ch...
counterpunch.org
Galley in hand! 𝘽𝙖𝙙 𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 officially drops September 1 @haymarketbooks.org. Many annoying posts forthcoming. Pre-order today: bookshop.org/p/books/bad-...
Soil at the public DC golf course where the Trump admin dumped debris of the White House East Wing has tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals. @nytimes.com gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/c...
Soil at D.C. Golf Course Where East Wing Debris Was Dumped Contains Toxic Metals
nytimes.com
We need so much copper for the energy transition that an old, dormant mine in Utah has reopened. A recent study found that, in the worst-case scenario (which is on the path we’re on), we’ll need 373 new copper mines by 2050 to keep up with demand.
Vampire Planet: This Week in the Anthropocene
Let’s start with the good news. As of 2025, coal is no longer the dominant energy source worldwide. It’s been at the top for over 100 years, but it’s been
counterpunch.org
Overcoming one extreme event, let alone two or more, would always pose a remarkable challenge to even the most competent of governments. Sadly, we face an increasingly hazardous future with a demonstrably incompetent leadership team. www.counterpunch.org/2026/04/07/o...
One Blow After Another
On March 13th, buried in the New York Times’s coverage of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict was a headline that would have been easy to miss amid the din of
counterpunch.org
"We’ve documented repeated, apparently deliberate, attacks on civilians." buff.ly/FAqwLfM
Absence of Accountability for Gaza Genocide Has Enabled Israel’s War on Lebanon
There has been “no accountability whatsoever for violations of the laws of war,” says researcher Ramzi Kaiss.
truthout.org
“The city’s transition away from the car, tho fantastically chaotic, has become a global role model. Under mayor @annehidalgo.bsky.social, Paris was ‘the most influential city in the world’ says Canadian urbanist Brent Toderian. Hidalgo, stepping down after 12 yrs, exulted: ‘The bike beat the car.’”
How Paris beat the car
Though chaotic, the city’s transition has become a global role model
ft.com
With rising geopolitical tensions, this book—which I finished reading a few weeks ago—is crucial for gaining a better understanding of the environmental legacy and ongoing impacts left behind by these weapons manufacturing sites. I highly recommend reading the works of this author and journalist.
Galley in hand! 𝘽𝙖𝙙 𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 officially drops September 1 @haymarketbooks.org. Many annoying posts forthcoming. Pre-order today: bookshop.org/p/books/bad-...
The world is unpredictable, and even the safest nuclear power plant can’t guarantee that it will hold up against whatever tragedy is coming next, writes @joshuafrank.bsky.social.
Remembering Fukushima... and the Other Road to Nuclear Nightmare
With nine nuclear-armed nations and roughly 12,000 nuclear warheads on this planet, worries about nuclear war are unavoidable. However, the danger of a nuclear disaster at a seemingly “peaceful” nuclear facility is often ignored.
commondreams.org
My latest piece on, well, a horrible anniversary. www.counterpunch.org/2026/03/20/t...
The Relentless Nightmare of Fukushima, 15 Years On
Nine countries now possess nuclear weapons and we have just seen the start of a new war in the Middle East over one more nation supposedly trying to acquire them. While we consider the dangers of such...
counterpunch.org
