Recently, I wrote an editorial in New Scientist magazine about the "not-in-my-backyard" approach some people and groups have adopted in regards to wind farms. It caused quite a fuss.
Recently, I wrote an editorial in New Scientist magazine about the "not-in-my-backyard" approach some people and groups have adopted in regards to wind farms. It caused quite a fuss.
Apparently, some wind energy developers used the article as a blanket endorsement that all proposed wind farms should be allowed to proceed - as though I was arguing the need for wind energy trumpets all other concerns.
I said no such thing.
Wind energy is an important part of a clean, renewable energy system that we need to develop if we want to reduce air pollution and climate change and improve our quality of life. It's just one part of a variety of innovative ways Canada can become more efficient and ultimately more competitive in the 21st century.
But wind farms, like any development, need to be sited properly and appropriately. Environmental assessments must be conducted and wind farms placed in areas where they can have the greatest positive effect with the smallest environmental footprint. After all, the whole point of clean energy is to reduce our environmental burden, not make it worse.
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For example, according to a University of Birmingham report released last week, poorly sited wind farms could pose a real threat to some birds. Researchers reviewed studies from all over the world on the impact of wind farms on bird populations and concluded that the birds most likely to be negatively affected are wading species and ducks. This means that estuaries and shallow shorelines could be risky sites for wind energy development.
The researchers also pointed out that the quality of most existing literature on the effects of windmills on bird populations was poor. And they said that the existing research was largely done over short time frames and for individual wind farms. In other words, right now, no one can say what sort of cumulative impact building hundreds of large wind farms will have on bird populations. Much more research obviously needs to be done on this important issue.
However, the researchers also point out that, compared to other threats posed to birds - from intensive agriculture to persistent toxic pollutants and climate change - the impact of wind farms is relatively low. The purpose of the review was to help ensure that wind farms are sited accordingly to reduce the threat as much as possible.
That makes sense for any developing energy technology, whether it's solar, wind, micro hydro, biomass or tidal energy. All of these technologies have potential - and drawbacks. But our current reliance on fossil fuels is polluting our air and water, politically destabilizing entire regions of the planet, and disrupting our climate. Each of these problems alone is enough to justify changing our ways. Together, they threaten the health and well being of future generations.
We are on the cusp of a new energy revolution, from fossil fuels as our primary energy source to renewable energy and energy efficiency. We've been through these revolutions before - when we switched from wood to coal, then when we made the transition from coal to oil and to gas. Each step had challenges and detractors, but ultimately these transitions have reduced pollution, improved efficiency and made our lives better.
That's the challenge with our new energy revolution - to harness new technologies and improve existing ones, learn to do more with less, and become smarter and less wasteful. That's a sustainable energy future and wind power is a part of it.
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Source: David Suzuki Foundation
