Renewable energy has been gaining momentum in recent years as the world is shifting its focus towards sustainable sources of energy. As a result, the role of wind turbines has become increasingly vital in the fight against climate change.
However, the fossil fuel industry is always on the lookout for ways to discredit renewable energy to protect their own interests. One such tactic is the attempt to paint wind turbines as deadly bird killers.
Are Wind Turbines A Bird Serial Killer?
Nope…cats are.
Firstly, it’s important to understand that wind turbines are a far less significant threat to birds than other human activities. For instance, cats are responsible for killing almost 2 billion birds annually, and buildings and vehicles are responsible for millions of bird deaths.
In comparison, wind turbines cause only 328,000 bird fatalities annually. However, the fossil fuel industry conveniently ignores these facts and attempts to paint wind turbines as environmental hazards.
Big Oil’s Misleading Attack on Wind Turbines
Secondly, it is vital to put the bird deaths attributed to wind turbines into context and compare them to other power sources’ impacts on birds. According to a study, fossil-fueled power stations are responsible for 16 times greater fatalities per GWh of electricity than wind turbines.
That means wind turbines are responsible for only 0.3 bird fatalities per GWh of electricity, while fossil-fueled power stations are responsible for 5.2 bird fatalities per GWh of electricity. Therefore, it’s essential to acknowledge the minimal impact of wind turbines on birds.
Moreover, some techniques can be used to minimize bird deaths due to wind turbines. Painting a single wind turbine blade black can reduce bird fatalities by 72%, especially collision deaths for birds of prey, such as white-tailed eagles. These simple solutions can eradicate the problem without removing wind turbines altogether.
The fossil fuel industry is willingly ignoring the greater environmental impacts of their operations merely to protect their profits. The attack on wind turbines as bird killers is just another ploy to spread misinformation and muddy the waters of renewable energy. It’s not that wind turbines don’t have a negative impact on birds; however, the impact is vastly minimal compared to other human activities. By painting a single blade black, the problem can be minimized further. Therefore, it’s time to reject this misleading argument and continue our efforts to shift towards renewable energy and reduce our carbon footprint which is the only sustainable way forward.
