Ozzie Zehner - Green Illusions

The University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia
13,415
0
Published 2012-10-01
Webcast sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and hosted by the UBC Reads Sustainability Lecture Series. Ozzie Zehner is the author of Green Illusions and a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. His recent publications include public science pieces in Christian Science Monitor, The American Scholar, The Humanist, The Futurist, Women's Studies Quarterly and The Economist as well as educational resources in Green Technology (Sage, 2011) and Green Culture (Sage, 2011). Zehner's research and projects over the previous two decades have been covered by CNN, MSNBC, USA Today, Science News Radio, The Washington Post, Business Week and numerous other media outlets. He also serves on the editorial board of Critical Environmentalism. Zehner primarily researches the social, political and economic conditions influencing energy policy priorities and project outcomes. His work also incorporates symbolic roles that energy technologies play within political and environmental movements. His other research interests include consumerism, urban policy, environmental governance, international human rights, and forgeries.
All Comments (21)
  • @FrankSchweppe
    Watching this 8 years later during the Covid pandemic. Contrary to some commenters I do like the old house anecdote. We planted trees around our home for shade and I would not chop them down to get some PV solar power. :-)
  • @iBryFi
    Saw this man at Kendall College of Art and Design around 20 years ago. Won his book in a raffle. He signed it. Actually had the chance to talk to him for a moment. Book changed my damn life. I remember my professor pushed me hard to go see him speak. I didn't even want to go see him speak initially.
  • @catherinebanks6420
    This reminds me why I hated architecture school (top rated program in US). Most of the professors were more concerned about getting their designs on a magazine cover than actually helping their clients.
  • @Orf
    50:30 not saying we shouldn’t do R &E. It should just ask right questions
  • @Orf
    0:10 I'm not going to say what "we must" talk about but how "we might" talk about the environmental issues we're dealing with.
  • @Orf
    1:21:00 “I do not have a problem w solar panels. Calling it green is another step though. “Connecting a billion people in India w solar panels is not going to happen”
  • @chapter4travels
    You can't bring the 1.3 billion people who have no electricity out of poverty with efficiency. You do it with power, lots more power.
  • @Orf
    1:02:30 suggests we may need a crisis. Well we got one
  • @rd264
    Planet of the Humans is free on youtube, but it might be costly for those who are invested in population growth and consumption, see @ 50:00 mins et seq.
  • @davidcanatella4279
    Earth has to be extracted to pay rent and mortgage. Free house ownership would help tremendously
  • @woooweee
    The anecdote isn't proof colddrake, its just illustrating through example....way to miss the point. Actual thinking? Perhaps you should try some yourself. It just sounds like he's punctured some illusions you've been working under.
  • @woooweee
    Keep watching, Germany is the perfect example of horribly misguided energy policy.
  • @bies21
    You have 3% and you're expected to get to maybe 25% by 2050 - someone else needs to hit the books
  • @Rachegotter
    Ozzie Zehner... haven't seen this guy in years. He used to turn tricks out of Detroit. He hasn't improved on his communicating skills, though.
  • @DougHanchard
    Ultimately, if Zehner's views were taken literately, North America would have to rebuild 80% of each country's infrastructure (homes and commercial) which in itself is fine. Those costs however, I would suggest be far more expensive and polluting than Zehner understands or wants to take into account. Energy consumption is going to rise. The only way to reverse that possibility is to eliminate human re-population. Reduction of waste is where Zehner is right, but it has limits.
  • @dmtk8
    At the very beginning 5:20 the author is completely wrong. Why not show data from Germany? More reading, please.
  • @zazus1324
    But now I see this is really old, so maybe the data was just not available back in 2012. So how did he come up with his premise? In any case, very suspicious. In any case, he needs to update/correct this info, as it's still misleading and just plain wrong.
  • @flexairz
    The greens ruin more than you think...