(Written by David Suzuki on
December 9, 2014)
There's no free ride when
it comes to generating energy. Even the cleanest sources have
environmental consequences. Materials for all power-generating
facilities have to be obtained and transported...and infrastructure
must be built, maintained and eventually decommissioned. Wind
turbines take up space and can harm wildlife. Hydro floods
agricultural land and alters water cycles.
That's why 'conservation'
is the best way
to reduce
energy-consumption impacts.
Reductions in energy
use...and investment in energy-efficient technologies
are so significant that
the International Energy Agency
refers to 'conservation'
as the 'First Fuel.'
No matter how good we
get at conserving, though, we'll always need energy, so we must find
ways to employ the least damaging technologies and reduce negative
effects. We know the world's preferred and currently cheapest method
to generate power ~ burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas ~
is the most destructive, causing pollution, global warming and
massive environmental damage during extraction, transport, refining
and use. And supplies are becoming more difficult to obtain and
will eventually run out.
In contrast, wind
power does not create pollution or global warming emissions, is
affordable and will never run out! Improvements to
power-generation capacity, efficiency and affordability will continue
to boost its importance in the energy mix. But we must ensure
turbines are installed in locations and using methods that reduce
negative impacts on humans and wildlife.
Thanks to ongoing
research and testing, wind power has come a long way in a
relatively short time. Wildlife behaviour studies, along with
technological improvements, have significantly reduced harm to birds
and bats...and better siting has reduced impacts on other wildlife
and habitat. Wind power generation is far safer for birds, bats and
other animals than burning fossil fuels.
But, what about wind
power's effects on humans, a key argument used by opponents?
Turbines, especially older ones, can be noisy...and some people find
them unsightly ~ although I prefer the sight of wind farms to
smokestacks and smog. Many problems can be addressed by locating
quieter turbines far enough away from human habitation to reduce
impacts.
As for health effects, a
recent comprehensive Health Canada study confirms previous
research. Although people report being annoyed by wind turbines,
there's no measurable association between wind turbine noise and
sleep disturbance and disorders, illnesses and chronic health
conditions...or stress and quality-of-life issues. A 2013 Australian
report concluded people living near wind installations where
anti-wind campaigns were active, were more likely to report health
problems, with suggestions some issues may be psychological.
Health Canada says more
research may be needed and we shouldn't downplay the annoyance
factor. Again, improvements in technology and proper siting will
overcome many problems. And there's no doubt that fossil fuel
development and use ~ from bitumen mining, deep-sea drilling,
mountaintop removal and fracking to wasteful burning in single-user
vehicles ~ are far more annoying and damaging to human health than
wind power and other renewable-energy technologies.
Wind energy is also
becoming more affordable and reliable! Denmark gets 34% of
its electricity from wind...and Spain 21%, making wind their largest
electricity source. Portugal gets more than 20%...Ireland 16%...and
Germany 9%. All have much higher population densities than
Canada. Wind power contributes about four percent to world-wide
electricity generation.
Total global investment
in wind energy in 2012 was more than $80 billion...creating 670,000
jobs. And according to a Blue Green Canada report,
investing the $1.3 billion the oil industry gets, in annual
federal taxpayer subsidies in renewable energy and conservation,
could create 18,000 to 20,000 jobs, compared to fewer than 3,000 in
oil and gas. And we can't ignore the many related cost impacts of
fossil fuel development, from health-care to infrastructure.
To reduce global
greenhouse gas emissions
at a pace and scale that
experts agree is necessary
to avoid increasing
catastrophic effects of global warming,
we need a mix of renewable
energy.
Wind power will play a
large role.
Learn more at
www.davidsuzuki.org
Words of Wisdom
There is an urgent need to
stop subsidizing the fossil fuel industry,
reduce wasted energy and
significantly shift our power suppliers
for oil, coal and natural
gas to…
wind, solar,
geothermal, and other renewable energy sources.
(Bill McKibben)
I believe the cost of
energy will come down
when me make this
transition to renewable energy.
(Al Gore)
Penned by Merle
Baird-Kerr...December 18, 2014
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