Review of Green Illusions: The Dirty Secrets of Clean Energy and the Future of Environmentalism by Ozzie Zehner

Review of Green Illusions: The Dirty Secrets of Clean Energy and the Future of Environmentalism by Ozzie Zehner



Spring 2013 



Review of 

Green Illusions: The Dirty Secrets of Clean
Energy and the Future of Environmentalism

by Ozzie
Zehner 



Jonathan Hladik
Center for Rural Affairs 



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Hladik, Jonathan, "Review of Green Illusions: The Dirty Secrets of Clean Energy and the Future of Environmentalism by Ozzie Zehner"
(2013). Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences. 1291.
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82 



Green Illusions: The Dirty Secrets of Clean Energy and
the Future of Environmentalism. By Ozzie Zehner. Lincoln:
University of Nebraska Press, 2012. xx + 437 pp. Illustrations,
photographs, tables, notes, index. $29.95 paper. 



As we grapple with climate change and pollution, resource scarcity and rising prices, it's clear we need to make difficult choices
about our energy consumption. In the opinion of many, the solution begins and ends with increased investment in renewable
energy systems, an investment that will help us cut back on
emissions and lower prices-while creating economic opportunity here at home. Ozzie Zehner doesn't share that opinion.
His critique of modem American environmentalism in Green
Illusions maintains that many of us could be wrong.
Zehner begins by addressing the seductive nature of renewable energy systems, dissecting popularly circulated solutions,
and arguing that we are nowhere close to finding a technology
capable of moving us past the fossil-fuel-intensive lifestyle
we've chosen. From solar panels to wind farms, biofuels to clean
coal, he shows that each "solution" isn't a solution at all. In fact,
each is part of the problem.
His deconstruction of the industry helps to make sense of
our affinity for renewable energy. He points to popular media
Great Plains Research Vol. 23 No.1, 2013
and mainstream environmentalism as CUlprits busy selling the
renewable energy ideal to an unversed public while ignoring numerous options that could be far more effective in confronting
climate change. He points out that alternative energy production
expands energy supplies, placing downward pressure on prices,
which spurs demand, entrenches energy-intensive modes ofliving, and finally brings us right back to where we started-high
demand and so-called insufficient supply.
It takes some time to get there, but Zehner eventually begins
to spell out a series of options that help us look at energy in a
brand new way. He touches on energy-efficient lighting, walkable communities, and suburban sprawl. He offers practical
solutions readily available to average homeowners seeking to
minimize energy use in their day-to-day lives. He then points
to some of the many causes of our energy-intensive lifestyle that
aren't often discussed. Examples include commercials aimed at
children, corporate influence trumping citizen representation,
measurements of the nation's health in dollars rather than well
being, and media concerned with advertising over insight.
Green Illusions commendably illustrates the importance of
energy to our everyday lives. Almost every decision we makefrom where we live to where we work, to what we eat and how
we seek entertainment-provides an opportunity to choose
between an energy-intensive lifestyle and one more mindful of
consequences.
Zehner is right to suggest that this problem won't necessarily be solved by the same productivist mentality that got us here
in the first place. But it's fair to argue that he uses this opportunity to dismiss renewable technologies far too quickly. The need
to change the way we think about energy doesn't alter the fact
that we need at least some energy, both now and in the future.
And where will that energy come from? Should we give up on
renewable resources simply because they won't by themselves
solve our energy problems?
It's true we can focus on saving energy, or on better policies that will conserve energy, but we can't pretend that we can
quit consumption cold turkey. Our energy has to come from
somewhere. Zehner comes dangerously close to implying that
as long as we boost efficiency and create policies that lead to less
energy use and more conservation, the coal-intensive status quo
is acceptable.
But continually burning coal to meet our energy needs is
not acceptable. The conversation cannot be about replacing
conventional resources wholesale; it needs to be about diversification and moving away from those that are most harmful. We
may minimize our need for electricity, but we aren't going to
eliminate it entirely. Though they may not be perfect, renewable
energy technologies will play an important role in providing our
minimum energy needs. They can be improved upon, but they
can't be dismissed.
In the end, Green Illusions asks more questions than it answers, which is a good thing. It's imperative that we spend more
time considering the energy issues that really matter, not those
being foisted upon us through mainstream media and other
Book Reviews
facets of popular culture. As a nation, we have hard decisions
before us. We need to find actual, tangible solutions that will
make a real difference. Our path begins with critical thinking
and informed choices. This book helps us get started. 



JONATHAN HLADIK
Center for Rural Affairs
Lyons, Nebraska