Wednesday, May 21, 2014

How bad is wind power for birds?

A controversial subject, with few very definitive answers, except in extreme cases, like Altamonte, CA.

The good news is that when wind turbines are sited AFTER doing a thorough bird study, especially of migratory bird pathways, the harm to birds is lessened greatly...BUT can still be significant.

For an in-depth article from the American Bird Conservancy, see top ten myths about wind power and birds.

What I missed in this very thorough article was a comparison of wind turbine bird kills to kills by cats and window impacts. I recall that the later two are orders of magnitude worse... and Mother Jones confirms my recollection in regard to cats.
And if you prefer Bloomberg to Mother Jones, read THIS.


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GREENLAND - Will probably be the focus of near term sea level rise

Greenland is almost all covered by a very thick glacial ice cap. If all of Greenland's ice either melted or slid into the oceans, sea le...