I watched the documentary Planet of the Humans and acquired Green Illusions: The Dirty Secrets of Clean Energy and the Future of Environmentalism, whose author, Ozzie Zehner, was a producer.
The book has three sections. The first debunks the idea of clean energy production. This is especially difficult to read, because I had never entertained serious doubts that humanity could and should continue to expand its energy production as long as it used "clean" & "renewable" energy such as solar, wind, tidal and (one day!) nuclear fusion. I'm an avid consumer of science fiction and futurism, and most of these cultural products assume that humanity has solved its environmental limits while maintaining an ever-increasing standard of living.
A few lines from Light of the Stars: Alien Worlds and the Fate of the Earth by Adam Frank explains why physicists believe this is theoretically impossible, but Ozzie Zehner's documentary and book brought this point home to me.
The second section describes why people who think about environmental limits, such as the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, have come to focus so much on energy production. For those interested in media criticism, this is valuable. Other factors, such as how we run our elections through Iowa and how that impacts our biofuels discussions, are also examined.
The final and most valuable section is how low technology social changes can actually reduce our ecological footprint more than "green technologies." Women's rights, limiting advertising and walkable neighborhoods are more vital than photovoltaics, modular nuclear reactors and electric cars.
The epilogue is a wonderful bibliographic essay for further readings.
If you consider yourself an environmentalist, challenge yourself and read this book.
Ozzie Zehner has a Twitter account, a website companion for the book, a Facebook Page and a personal website.
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