Canada Wind Power Facts
Sierra Magazine has detailed how oil and gas interests, and interests connected to the U.S. Administration, have been spreading disinformation on wind power in order to keep people reliant on oil and gas. Because Canada can go 100% renewable and renewables create more jobs and offer cheaper energy than oil and gas.
As an AP Fact Check, “Trump Misstates Key Facts on Wind Power,” by Jennifer Mcdermott pointed out:
- “Onshore wind is one of the cheapest sources of electricity generation, with new wind farms expected to produce electricity around US$30 per megawatt hour. This compares to a new natural gas plant, around $65 per megawatt hour, or a new advanced nuclear reactor, which runs over $80, according to estimates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
- There are no known links between large whale deaths and ongoing offshore wind activities, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- An Audubon report found that two-thirds of North American bird species could face extinction due to rising temperatures… the nonprofit said responsible offshore wind development is a clear win for birds, the U.S. economy and the climate.
- 90% of wind turbines can be recycled using existing infrastructure, while new strategies and innovative recycling methods will be needed to tackle the rest….”
As the New York Times reported recently: “A law firm representing opponents of offshore wind farms is demanding that Brown University retract research that details links between the fossil fuel industry and anti-wind groups…. A new publication issued by the Climate Development Lab on Friday maps connections between groups that oppose offshore wind and the law firms that represent them, and uses Marzulla Law as a case study. It describes the firm as having “a history of advancing anti-environmental lawsuits and significant ties with the fossil fuel industry.”
Repeated studies around the world have found no scientific evidence of health impacts from wind power projects.
As more renewable power is built we also gain the increasing ability to build renewables with renewable power rather than power from oil and gas. After all, horse-drawn carts were used in the early 20th century to haul parts to a factory for the first cars but that didn’t stop cars from replacing horse-drawn carts: The same is true of renewables replacing oil and gas. And the impact of using of lubricants in wind turbines is nothing close to, or remotely like, the devastating pollution caused by burning oil and gas for energy instead.
The double standards and hostile approach of the Alberta Provincial Government against wind power have cost Albertans “10.7 gigawatts of clean energy capacity in the two years since the province slapped a moratorium on renewable energy and battery storage development, enough to meet 109% of its average power demand and 89% of its peak demand.”
There’s also a fact sheet detailing the myths around solar power, which is both reliable and helps lower emissions.
For example, golf courses currently take up far more space than solar power in many nations, covering 15 times as much land in Canada [and sowing wildflowers alongside panels would have benefits for farmers who rely on pollinators].
Air pollution from fossil fuels kills 5 million people each year globally. Oil and gas corporations, and their friends in the U.S. Administration, have been lying to the public about climate change. Severe storms like Hurricane Fiona, and wildfires like the Jasper wildfire and those in NL have been made many times more likely and more severe because of climate change.
Help take action to stop the spread of this disinformation in Canada by talking to others and sign our pledge to help Canada go renewable.
