Occasionally, a book comes along that turns upside-down one’s long-held notions about reality. BRIGHT GREEN LIES: How the Environmental Movement Lost Its Way and What We Can Do About It – by Derrick Jensen / Lierre Keith / Max Wilbert – is such a book, as it cuts through the many myths surrounding “renewable” technologies. The Association for the Tree of Life supports this book’s assertions: “green” energy cannot replace fossil fuels, therefore it cannot mitigate the climate emergency. Instead, the “bright green” effort to clean up our energy systems with wind, solar, and energy storage will only further damage the natural living world, the very basis for our existence.
Bright Green Lies, in all its horrific details, compels us to think far deeper about our situation. The book should be widely read and discussed. We will only further strip mine our Life-Support systems, if we hold deeply flawed notions about what is possible. BGL’s central message is clear: We cannot continue this energy- and resource-hungry wonderworld, and keep a livable planet, too.
Read ATL’s book review here. Order the book here. Look for the BRIGHT GREEN LIES movie on Earth Day.
The rush to develop “green” technologies will “green light” many destructive mining and infrastructure projects. For example, in the final days of the Trump administration, a new lithium mine was approved in northern Nevada, at Thacker Pass. One of BGL’s co-authors, Max Wilbert, has helped stage a resistance camp to stop this project. Learn more about Thacker Pass and how you can support the protest.
Human overshoot is at the root of all our systemic crises, even including COVID-19 which has hit us so hard in this past year. The task is to steer a cooperative course toward a survivable future – meaning that fewer of us take far, far, far less from our benefactor, our Mother Earth. Before resignation sets in, because we will never return to pre-COVID “normal,” can we recall that it only takes 3-4% of engaged, impassioned citizens to drive a national conversation and usher in comprehensive transformation?
Our job is to wake up to Earth’s Life all around us, to triage what is possible, and to let go of what is not. The task is to engage the better angels of our human nature to carry what is possible into the future.
