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The Wind Farm Scam John Etherington The spectre of global warming and the political panic surrounding it has triggered a goldrush for renewable energy sources without an open discussion of the merits and drawbacks of each. In The Wind Farm Scam Dr Etherington argues that in the case of wind power the latter far outweigh the former. Wind turbines cannot generate enough energy to reduce global CO2 levels to a meaningful degree; what’s more wind power is by nature intermittent and cannot generate a steady output, necessitating back-up coal and gas power plants that significantly negate the saving of greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to the inefficacy of wind power there are ecological drawbacks, including damage to habitats, wildlife and the far-from-insignificant aesthetic drawback of the assault upon natural beauty and the pristine landscape, which wind turbines entail. Dr Etherington argues that wind power has been, and is being, excessively financed at the cost of consumers who have not been consulted, nor informed that this effective subsidy is being paid from their bills to support an industry that cannot be cost efficient or, ultimately, favour the cause it purports to support. John Etherington - THE AUTHOR: John Etherington was a Reader in Ecology at the University of Wales, Cardiff. Since his retirement from the University in 1990, he has devoted himself to researching the implications of intermittently available renewable electricity generation, in particular wind power. He is a Thomas Huxley Medallist at the Royal College of Science and a former co-editor of the International Journal of Ecology. |
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artists against wind farms
what this site is about, and the inspiration behind it
Wind turbines have many drawbacks. They kill birds and bats, cause environmental damage, ruin the lives of many who live near them because of noise and other issues, and they cause division in communities between those who benefit financially from them, and those who may lose a large proportion of the value of their homes. For the full and technical arguments against wind farms, we recommend that anyone who would like to learn more about this subject goes to the excellent "The case against wind farms" by John Etherington (see second link below)
This however is a website about art, and powerful as all these other arguments are, we feel, as artists, that the aesthetic argument against wind farms is important too, and should not be treated as if it is an irrelevance. In an article that was one of the inspirations behind this site, Simon Jenkins argued that the precious landscapes of Britain are as valuable a part of our heritage as the greatest works of art. For this article, and others, go to the first link below.
Articles by Simon Jenkins, Robert Macfarlane and Cameron McNeish
"The case against wind farms" by John Etherington
This website gives artists an opportunity to display their work, and also to say in their own words why they are fighting to save the landscapes that they love from industrialisation by giant wind turbines.
