Finally!! Someone Explains Wind Energy’s Real Wildlife Connection

August 21st, 2011 by Zachary Shahan

OK, it’s mostly folks from the American Wind Energy Association (but also Jack Clarke of Mass Audubon, who inspired my enthusiastic title). But, seriously, they are right on. I almost never even mention the topic of wind turbines’ effect on wildlife,.. because it is so completely obvious. Wind energy is tremendously needed in addressing both global warming pollution and other pollution. Unless we want to go back to a time when we didn’t have electricity at all, it’s sorely needed.

Watch these wind energy experts discuss the wind industry’s relationship to wildlife in the video below.

As an American Wind Energy Association representative wrote in an email to me: “Expanding the use of wind power improves environmental conditions for wildlife because wind power has none of the harmful emissions, water use, mining, drilling and hazardous waste of other energy sources. Even so, AWEA and the wind energy industry are committed to proactively reducing its already low impacts on the surrounding environment.”

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Tags: wind energy birds, wind energy environment, wind energy turbines, wind power birds, wind turbines birds

About the Author

Zachary Shahan spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as the director/chief editor. Otherwise, he's probably enthusiastically fulfilling his duties as the director/editor of Solar Love, EV Obsession, Planetsave, or Bikocity. Zach is recognized globally as a solar energy, electric car, and wind energy expert. If you would like him to speak at a related conference or event, connect with him via social media. You can connect with Zach on any popular social networking site you like. Links to all of his main social media profiles are on ZacharyShahan.com.

TraceyES

Well said. I frequently notice that harm to wildlife often gets used as a crutch by the NIMBY crowd — people who have never cared much about animals in the past, but now have a sudden, convenient interest. In the same way Republican politicians who have never expressed a moment’s concern about environmental pollution are suddenly PASSIONATE over the fact that CFL bulbs contain a microscopic amount of mercury.
- http://rucio.livejournal.com/ Rucio
  
  And now big energy firms are the real friends of nature!
- Anonymous
  
  Well said. Excellent points.
http://rucio.livejournal.com/ Rucio

This would all be partly true if wind actually replaced the causes of climate change, but there is no evidence that it does, certainly not to any meaningful degree. Wind is _adding_ to the harm, especially for raptors and bats.
- Anonymous
  
  Rucio,
  
  That’s just plain false. The emissions of wind are offset LONG before the project life ends.
  - http://rucio.livejournal.com/ Rucio
    
    Wind adds environmental degradation and harm to wildlife, not carbon emissions, on which it doesn’t appear to have any measurable effect.
    - Anonymous
      
      Rucio, for the last time, that’s B.S. I don’t know where you found it, but i advise against picking up B.S.
      - http://rucio.livejournal.com/ Rucio
        
        I only know that wind proponents are always talking about the effect wind WILL have on fossil fuel, nuclear, carbon emissions, etc., but never about the effect it HAS had, even in Denmark and Germany. Meanwhile, fossil fuel, nuclear, carbon emissions, etc. have continued apace and wind has added its own depredations on the natural world to theirs.
Janetgrace

This is absolute drivel! Not only do wind turbines kill thousands of birds and bats every year, the environmental implications of blasting holes (disturbing groundwater) and roads while jeopardizing the natural environment (IE the request for permission to “harass and kill” Blandings turtles so that Gilead could construct an industrial turbine complex in Prince Edward County) is indefensible. For a pidly 2% of Ontario’s energy, we have sold our rural countryside down the river – and destroyed the lives of hundreds of people who have been caught by inadequate setback siting of turbines. It is time for the people of Ontario to realize that wind energy is a boondoggle….and we are the laughing stock of the rest of the world!
Anonymous

“Wind industry has a strong environmental ethic…” Except fot the Chinese fabricators who create the specialized components for Windpower in polution cesspools across China.
- Anonymous
  
  It’s not all pretty.
  
  But it’s still infinitely prettier than the alternative
  - http://rucio.livejournal.com/ Rucio
    
    Except that it’s not an alternative. It’s an add-on.
    - Anonymous
      
      Rucio, it is definitely not an add one. It is an alternative. But, yeah, you don’t start at the finish line. You start at the start line.