Jake Bittle is a staff writer at the nonprofit news outlet Grist<\/i>, where he covers climate change and the environment. He is the author of The Great Displacement: Climate Change and the Next American Migration<\/i>, which was published in 2023. He has written about climate, energy, and other issues for The New York Times<\/i>, The Guardian<\/i>, The Atlantic<\/i>, Harper\u2019s<\/i>, and numerous other outlets.<\/p>
Bittle is currently working on a book about the transformation of Bakersfield, California. This polluted city in California\u2019s Central Valley has long relied on two extractive industries, oil and agriculture, but California\u2019s ambitious climate policies have hobbled both industries over the past decade. At the same time, the city has undergone a profound demographic and political shift, changing from a sleepy conservative town to a fast-growing and diverse destination for young people and immigrants. This book follows the oil workers, farmers, activists, and government officials who are navigating this turbulent transition and building a new clean economy out of the ashes of the old one.<\/p>