Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Newspaper Article of the Day

From the July 11th Daily Mail (U.K.):
The wind turbine backlash: Growing public opposition thwarts green energy drive

Plans to cover Britain with wind farms are being thwarted by a growing tide of public opposition.

Nearly half of all onshore wind farms in England and Wales are being refused planning permission, figures reveal.

The percentage of such developments being refused planning permission has risen sharply over the last five years.

According to data obtained by law firm McGrigors, in 2005 29 per cent were turned down by planners -- rising to 33 per cent in 2009 and 48 per cent last year. . .

Benny Peiser of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, which is sceptical of the Government's climate change policy, including its plans for building wind farms, said: 'The public backlash against wind farms is not surprising.

'It is the inevitable and inexorable consequence of a costly, unpopular and completely pointless policy that is butchering Britain's green and pleasant landscape without having any effect on the climate.

'These green projects are only viable because of multi-million subsidies supporting a few hundred wealthy landowners and a handful of energy companies.

'By opposing wind farms, a growing number of neighbourhoods and communities are protecting both their local environments and their purses from blind exploitation.'
(via Global Warming Policy Foundation)

1 comment:

OBloodyHell said...

>>> 'These green projects are only viable because of multi-million subsidies supporting a few hundred wealthy landowners and a handful of energy companies.

'By opposing wind farms, a growing number of neighbourhoods and communities are protecting both their local environments and their purses from blind exploitation.'


Read between the lines, there, though.

He doesn't doubt the readily challengeable efficacy of wind power in the first place, just the manner in which it's being implemented.

Until people start to actually grasp that wind power is an essentially lame and stupid concept in the first place, it's going to continue as a popular government boondoggle.