Summary

Hamburg, Germany, took back control of their electricity, gas and heating grids from private corporations in a process called “re-municipalization” or “re-communalization.” Klein writes that the people of Hamburg wanted to be part of the fast-growing transition to green that was sweeping all of Germany. She points out that large factions of Germany’s population have rejected energy privatization.

Klein explains that the trend toward renewable energy and the rejection of privatization has also emerged in the U.S. Boulder, Colorado is working toward buying back its power system to limit damage to the planet. She writes that those communities that have committed to renewable energy are those that have reclaimed their energy systems. Most private sector energy companies use their profits to lobby against emissions reductions. Klein writes that private wind and solar companies provide clean energy to their...