Environmental myths no fairytale

Should we be worried about running out of oil? Is economic development causing the demise of the environment? Is it vital that we 'reduce, re-use and recycle' so that no waste goes to landfill?. These are questions addressed in ANU Professor Jeff Bennett's new book Little Green Lies: An exposé of twelve environmental myths . In the book, Professor Bennett, from the Crawford School of Public Policy, part of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, sets out 12 commonly held environmental propositions, subjects them to economic analysis, and concludes that the propositions are 'little green lies'. "While they appear at first glance to hold true, their wider and frequently ignored consequences tell a different story. For instance, promoting renewable energy to make sure we will have enough power once we run out of oil means putting pressure on other scarce natural resources such as rare earths," Professor Bennett said. "And renewable energy is certainly not free from environmental consequences. Dams for hydro power mean flooded ecosystems.