As an aside, studies of California wind farms indicate that thousands of raptors a year are being killed by the huge, slowly turning blades. RLW
Cathy Taibbi - Wildlife Conservation Examiner
In Italy, sprawling prop-style wind turbine ‘farms’ are sprouting up in ever-increasing numbers and, as they do, the death toll soars for thousands upon thousands of birds of prey.
As concern about climate change and sustainable, eco-friendly alternative energy grows, it‘s surprising that an industry with so much potential – the wind industry – is under fire from environmental groups worldwide.
”Wind farm building continues unchecked and within a few years we will witness the almost total disappearance from the Apennine mountains and from Sicily of the Golden Eagle, the Bonelli`s Eagle, the Griffon Vulture, the Red Kite and many others,” farmers' organization Coldiretti and national environmental organizations said in a recent report in Life In Italy.com.
The biggest problem is the design of the turbines, which use huge spinning blades that eagles, kites and bats can’t focus on or navigate through. With so many of these towers in existence, many right in the flyways of threatened species, the result is a massacre. Even a glancing blow will decapitate a vulture, sever the wings from kites, or shear eagles in half.
The body count is alarming.
“Coldiretti warned that wind farms have increased by 35% in the last year, with more than 3,600 towers transforming around 10,000 km of land into a ``desert`` as long as a motorway.
Balance of article: examiner.com
Cathy Taibbi - Wildlife Conservation Examiner
In Italy, sprawling prop-style wind turbine ‘farms’ are sprouting up in ever-increasing numbers and, as they do, the death toll soars for thousands upon thousands of birds of prey.
As concern about climate change and sustainable, eco-friendly alternative energy grows, it‘s surprising that an industry with so much potential – the wind industry – is under fire from environmental groups worldwide.
”Wind farm building continues unchecked and within a few years we will witness the almost total disappearance from the Apennine mountains and from Sicily of the Golden Eagle, the Bonelli`s Eagle, the Griffon Vulture, the Red Kite and many others,” farmers' organization Coldiretti and national environmental organizations said in a recent report in Life In Italy.com.
The biggest problem is the design of the turbines, which use huge spinning blades that eagles, kites and bats can’t focus on or navigate through. With so many of these towers in existence, many right in the flyways of threatened species, the result is a massacre. Even a glancing blow will decapitate a vulture, sever the wings from kites, or shear eagles in half.
The body count is alarming.
“Coldiretti warned that wind farms have increased by 35% in the last year, with more than 3,600 towers transforming around 10,000 km of land into a ``desert`` as long as a motorway.
Balance of article: examiner.com
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