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Heather Rogers: Skepticism of the new green wave
- Heather Rogers talks with Kirk Heinze on WJR
Heather Rogers is a journalist and author who has written for publications such as the New York Times Magazine, The Nation and Mother Jones. Her latest book, Green Gone Wrong: How Our Economy Is Undermining the Environmental Revolution, was published by Scribner this past April. In Green Gone Wrong, Rogers examines issues such as food, shelter and transportation in the context of the new green wave.
Rogers says recent enthusiasm toward sustainability has lead to the belief that supply and demand in the free market can motivate environmental change. She challenges this notion with Jevons paradox, which states that an increase in the efficiency of resources will lead to an increase in consumption.
“The idea that we can continue growth is fundamentally flawed,” says Rogers. “If we don’t start separating out growth from development then I don’t think we’re ever going to get where we need to go.”
On the issue of organic food, Rogers is skeptical that increased demand will reduce industrial farming.
“As more people demand organic, the idea is more producers will have to change. What we see instead of organic transforming, we see the opposite. We see industrial food systems transforming what is organic.”
Rogers is currently working on an article concerning biofuels, which is also a topic addressed in her book. She believes that continuing investments in corn ethanol will be a hindrance to growth in wind, solar and geothermal energy.
“Corn ethanol has been proven to cause more CO2 emissions than the gasoline that it’s supposed to replace, “ says Rogers.
Click on the arrow above to hear Rogers’ September 24 Greening of the Great Lakes conversation with Kirk Heinze. Greening of the Great Lakes airs Friday evenings at 7 on News/Talk 760 WJR.
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