PODCAST: Tilting at windmills
In Western Australia's South West, there's a storm of controversy raging over offshore wind.
As the world attempts to transitions to renewable energy, grassroots groups are voicing their opposition to wind developments.
In South West WA, community group Save Our Beloved Geographe Bay has formed to oppose the federal government's proposed Bunbury offshore wind zone.
But are there nefarious forces at play? How legitimate are environmental concerns about wind turbines? Where's the money coming from to support local anti-wind groups like Save Our Beloved Geographe Bay? Why do anti-wind activists hate environmental groups like Greenpeace so much? And how does anti-wind sentiment fit into the murky worldviews of anti-vax, sovereign citizen, freedom-loving conspiracy theorists?
In this episode, you'll hear interviews with:
- Bunbury resident Rodney Peterson
- Curtin University marine scientist Professor Christine Erbe
- Save Our Beloved Geographe Bay campaign co-coordinator Martine Shepherd
- Busselton resident Darren Glover
- Independent MLC Sophia Moermond
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Since this episode was recorded, a coalition of environmental orgs, including WWF and Greenpeace, released a statement on renewables and nature:
Of course, every renewable energy project must be assessed for its environmental impact, which will mean avoiding some locations.
Stronger and clearer laws would guide all projects, give the community and industry certainty, set limits of acceptability, be designed to protect species and prevent extinction and in doing so create momentum for the necessary big renewables build. Moreover, any development in the oceans must consider the impacts on marine life and follow strict regulatory controls.
Read the full statement here.
Read more about opposition to offshore wind in the South West from The Last Place on Earth: 'The anger is blowin' in the wind'.
Links:
'Reviewing the ecological impacts of offshore wind farms' - Scientific paper
Greenpeace statement on proposed Bunbury offshore wind zone
'Against the Wind: A Map of the Anti-Offshore Wind Network in the Eastern United States' - report by Brown University Climate and Development Lab
'The network of conservative think-tanks out to kill the switch to renewables' - Renew Economy
Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
