THE RECENTLY RELEASED book Bright Green Lies: How the Environmental Movement Lost Its Way and What We Can Do About It is designed to disabuse a well-meaning public of the notion that Teslas and wind farms will save the planet. They won’t, say the three coauthors, Derrick Jensen, Lierre Keith, and Max Wilbert; at best, they’ll slow our inevitable self-destruction. The only thing that can save us is serious lifestyle change. What would that look like? From Thacker Pass in Humboldt County, Nevada, where he’s camped out with other activists protesting a pending lithium mine, Wilbert explains.
What’s the premise of Bright Green Lies?
“Bright green” environmentalists believe that technological changes can make our culture sustainable, and there’s not actually very good evidence to support this. In fact, the opposite is true. So, our book critiques technological solutions from an environmental perspective. We’re not just saying that solar panels and wind turbines are destructive. We’re saying that they’re actively misleading our movements and pulling us in the wrong direction.
So, I drive an electric car based on the belief I’m helping the planet. In your view, what should I be doing instead?
Cars themselves are the problem and some environmentalists have been pointing this out for decades. Car culture, urban sprawl, parking lots — these things don’t depend on the fuel that powers the car; they’re consequences of the car itself. People need to recognize that we’re not going to buy our way out of the ecological problems we face. In fact, the opposite is true. As long as we continue to invest in the mindset that produces this culture, that comes out of the idea that factories will save the planet, then we’re going to be led deeper into this mass extinction event.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
