Op-Ed: The Dirty Little Secret About Green Energy

According to the so-called experts, green energy via windmills and solar panels is the most environmentally safe form of energy. On the other hand, they claim that conventional fossil fuel energy sources like coal and natural gas are terrible for the environment.

This modern myth has been perpetuated for decades, primarily by those who have benefited monetarily from the “green transition” they seek to enforce.

However, this concept is patently untrue.

In fact, a very strong argument can be made based on an abundance of evidence and common sense that windmills and solar panels are far more environmentally destructive than their fossil fuel counterparts.

In 2019, avowed leftist Michael Moore co-produced a documentary called “.” I highly recommend this film, even though I am not a fan of Moore’s politics.

The documentary “handily debunks the misguided notion that renewable energy is a morally and environmentally superior, low-cost and reliable means of greening our electricity supply,” said Jason Hayes of the .

The film explained “that short life cycles, extensive land requirements, and expansive use of metals” make green energy far less green than most people realize.

In the more than five years since the film was released, the number of “green” energy industrial-scale projects in the United States has . Meanwhile, reliable and affordable coal-fired power plants are being .

As more coal-fired power plants are unnecessarily shut down and replaced by windmills and solar panels, the need for transmission lines will increase exponentially.

Unlike coal, nuclear, and natural gas power plants, windmill and solar facilities tend to be located far away from their customer base. In order to deliver the power generated by windmills and solar facilities, thousands of miles of transmission lines must be erected.

Often, as shown in “Planet of the Humans,” these transmission lines require the clear-cutting of pristine forests and other untouched lands.

“The enormous amount of power transmission lines necessary for transporting wind and solar power to far-away population centers create additional direct harms on otherwise undeveloped or minimally developed lands,” James Taylor, president of The Heartland Institute, wrote in a 2025 policy brief.

“Faulty or disrupted power lines are frequently the cause of major wildfires. Power transmission lines were the culprit in deadly and massively destructive fires recently in California, the Texas Panhandle, and the Hawaiian island of Maui,” Taylor noted.

Aside from destroying unblemished lands, windmills also kill more than  birds and bats annually. Off-shore windmills are no better. In recent years, huge off-shore wind projects on the East Coast have been associated with a large surge in .

I bet most Americans also don’t know that windmills and solar panels have negative impacts on soil and water. As Taylor explained, “Wind and solar equipment require the mining, refining, and utilization of substantial amounts of toxic metals and rare-earth minerals. Rare-earth mining and the refining of rare-earth minerals are among the most environmentally destructive practices on the planet, typically resulting in widespread and heavily toxic pollution of soil and water.”

I’m glad to see some mainstream media outlets are finally spilling the beans and admitting that “.”

I’m more glad to see that President Donald Trump, unlike all his recent predecessors, fundamentally understands the truth about wind and solar power. For years, Trump has derided the forced transition to supposedly green energy as the “Green New Scam.”

Trump also understands that a cottage industry has been created that depends upon the largesse associated with the hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars funneled to Big Green.

A few years ago, I feared that Big Green was on the cusp of being unstoppable. Yet, today, it seems like Big Green is more vulnerable to scrutiny and skepticism. This is great news for Americans, especially those of us who actually care about saving the environment.

The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either d or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.

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