A proposal to expand the UKs offshore wind capacity could result in "no safe passage for whales, dolphins, bats and birds".
"The whole mindless idea emanates from cloud cuckoo land, where it seems many of our politicians reside...." Words of warning I sounded words of warning last year when I reported that seabird populations in the Irish Sea, around the Isle of Man, had plummeted by 40%. Could it perhaps, I asked, have anything to do with the nearby presence of the world's biggest offshore wind farm? The answer seemed glaringly obvious. Wind turbines kill birds and bats through direct collision, and probably whales and other marine mammals through the effects of infrasound. We don't know the numbers because, unlike land based wind farms where the carnage is visible, at sea the dead bodies are usually never recovered or recorded, although some cetaceans are stranded or washed ashore dead. Now the UK government has flaunted the idea of building many more offshore wind farms around the coast of the UK, equating to thousands of huge turbines, which means that our seas could potentially become a slaughterhouse for some of our most threatened species. Hundreds of these enormous turbines, many of them more than 600 feet (182m) high, already fill large expanses of the Irish Sea, with each blade measuring more than 200 feet in length, spinning at up to 180 mph. Thousands more throng the North Sea. Indeed it's been confirmed that a new generation of turbines is to be installed off England's eastern coast, with each blade measuring more than 350 feet (107m) in length. What hope is there for birds and bats to avoid such a deadly machine? Death knell for marine mammals and birds If the reckless industrialisation proceeds at the pace mooted by the prime minister, thousands more turbines will be added to the already lethal mix. This will sound the death knell for marine mammals and birds. The whole mindless idea emanates from cloud cuckoo land, where it seems many of our politicians reside, but it's a dangerous idea nevertheless because big wind companies will be eager to buy into a money making scheme, however absurd and whatever the cost to the environment and wildlife. With greed and stupidity combined in one ridiculous proposal, is there any hope at all for the survival of our endangered marine ecosystems? No safe passage for whales, dolphins, bats and birds If the absurd plan is given the green light, then there will be no safe passage for whales, dolphins, bats and birds. Creatures that have traversed these maritime routes for millennia will be facing a potential massacre and some species will doubtless face extinction as a direct result of an irrational and half-baked ambition from a government that has yet to prove it can accomplish anything but general chaos. It's a government that is already overseeing the appalling culling of badgers and the wholesale destruction of our ancient woodlands. Now they have formulated a madcap plan to destroy our precious marine ecosystems too. No amount of mitigation will be enough to restore the fragile balance of nature, already at risk of imminent environmental collapse. RSPB worried.... While some are already on board with the madness, others are starting to worry. The RSPB has finally woken up to the problem, warning of the significant threat to rare birds if the government's reckless plan goes ahead. They say such expansion of offshore wind farms would lead to an "irreversible decline towards extinction." Sinister Irony: Slaughter of wildlife under the banner of 'saving the planet' It would be insane to think that oceans full of turbines, at the expense of so many species, will prove to be a reliable or economic solution to the energy crisis. If the plan goes ahead, then the final mass slaughter of our most endangered wildlife will be underway. And with sinister irony it will all be under the banner of 'saving the planet' and 'green energy'. Stupidity and self destruction These are strange times we are living through folks. Stupidity is a trait unique to the human race, and we might well be on course for self destruction through selfishness and greed - but we shouldn't be taking so many other species down with us.
1 Comment
Edward Barratt
14/11/2020 02:02:35 pm
Disgusting. There's so much greenwashing going at the same time (eg HS2 and the emasculated environment bill) and little chance of the much vaunted CEN taking a stand.
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