Essay by Eric Worrall
The Green on Green civil war is heating up in Australia.
Experts say climate change bigger threat to biodiversity than renewable energy projects
…
As aging coal-fired power stations along Australia’s east coast reach the end of their lives, the country is looking to transition to renewable energy to secure our energy sources into the future in the face of climate change.
But what happens when these developments have the potential to hurt sensitive ecosystems or biodiversity?
Is some environmental damage an unfortunate — but unavoidable — casualty in the battle against climate change?
…
The proposed wind farm is adjacent to an internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland and a number of national parks, sparking concerns it could pose a risk to a number of endangered birds, including the Australasian bittern, orange-bellied parrot and south-eastern red-tailed black cockatoo.
…Australian National University professor of environmental and climate change economics Frank Jotzo said renewable energy projects have a “minimal” impact on the environment, and while that’s unfortunate, they are for the greater good.
“Whatever we do, there will be some undesirable effects,” Professor Jotzo said.
“In the big picture, there’s no omelette you can make without breaking any eggs.
“Climate change is the far bigger threat to biodiversity, to our environment, agricultural systems and economy.”
…
Read more: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-28/renewable-energy-impacts-kentbruck-wind-farm/106157018
There is no way to prevent mass bird deaths around wind farms. During my time as a pilot I saw first hand how insensitive to aerial threats some birds are. Raptors are especially vulnerable. Small prey species of birds will dive for cover, but millions of years of evolution have taught large raptors they are the lords of the sky. That is why in the tragic video below the eagle doesn’t even try to get out of the way of the turbine blade, they are incapable of visualising the turbine blade is a threat. As a pilot of a light aircraft I could take evasive action, because I knew the large raptor wasn’t going to evade. Wind turbines not so much.
Here’s a thought Victoria – if you want zero carbon energy, instead of decimating sensitive wetlands, why don’t you build a few nuclear reactors?
The problem of nuclear safety has long since been solved. Even if there was a Chernobyl style accident in a modern nuclear plant, we don’t have to be stupid like the Soviets were. If Victoria followed the modern US practice of building the sarcophagus around the plant BEFORE the accident, rather than trying to cobble something together afterwards, no matter what happens to the core the radiation would be contained.
So long as Australia rejects such an obvious solution this green on green conflict will continue. Green energy advocates who claim you have to bulldoze nature to protect the environment vs old style environmentalists who actually care about endangered species, who after 30 years of shameful silence in the face of large scale destruction of sensitive wilderness areas are finally finding their voices.
But nuclear might actually work, and the Green Blob can’t tolerate that.
Too busy doling out middle class welfare and virtue signalling-
FBT exemption for electric cars to cost 18 times more than forecast in massive blowout
PS: They’re not completely immune to the outcome of their red ink and helicopter money printing-
Car makers to be exposed for missing tough emissions rules
Aus has plenty of coal and gas, so why not just use them?
Even if climate change was a greater threat than the wind farm, then the argument is still incoherent, because the effect of the wind farm on climate change would be too small to be detectable. Therefore, you have the pain of the wind farm, and you still have the pain of climate change.
” … pain of climate change.”
What pain?
It’s a metaphor.
With climate change it has been mooted that there will be wind stilling, less bang for the buck. Add the disturbance to the wind and get even less bang. A total fizzog.
Well that took longer than I thought it would. The only thing that would make Greens happy is if we all did a JonesTown.
Grab some popcorn, everyone. This one is going to be a slobberknocker!!
David, is your hometown Wellsville, NY?
Sure is. Is that you, Henry?
I’ll bring the Koolaid.
I’ve got beer. More CO2 for everyone!
Is popcorn appropriate for that?
Time for this one again:
What’s really needed is not some paste up photoshopped funny image,
but a good gallery of dead birds on the ground under “Wind Turbines.”
If you ask Google AI:
“Show me images of dead birds on the ground under wind turbines”
You get 19 images ten of which show a dead bird(s) and at least two
were of the same bird
There really should be better documentation. Or maybe the slaughter
is over rated.
Just try to find out wether there are some NDA’s for windmill maintenance workers in terms of bird killings.
If there are none then the “slaughter” may be on a very low scale.
I still wonder if it may be of use to place some XL predatory bird kite dummies around windmills to keep the birds away?
What is an NDA & XL? Undefined acronyms are not helpful.
OK must be Non Disclosure Agreement but I’m not bothering to took up XL.
If such NDA exist there must be a reason = huge bodycount.
If they don’t exist and we dont get many photos of bird corpses then the bodycount may be pretty low.
XL =(in CASE you ain’t sarcastic) extra large.so that even huge birds of prey get intimidated
Have you ever shopped for a t shirt?
What about a few of these?
I once saw an extremely skinny stand up comic on Netflix – he could mimic those things. It was very funny.
It would absolutely help to keep me a 1000miles away,
but I think they use those to attract crowds for Christopher Street day
With opportunistic wildlife like foxes, coyotes, etc. around, bird carcasses can be removed rather quickly.
Good point, bob.
Dead animals don’t seem to stick around long. i was a forester for 50 years in western Wokeachusetts and hardly ever saw a dead animal.
Last year someone dumped a sheep carcass about 3 or 4 hundred yards up the mountain from our cabin here in West Virginia. Within two days it was gone. There weren’t even any bones left. Deer carcass seem to be the only ones that hang around for a few days. Guess they’re usually too close to the road for the larger scavengers to mess with.
Lots of live animals out there but I hardly ever saw any- other than birds. And they’re all hungry all the time. Lots of moose and bear now in MA but I haven’t yet seen a moose. I heard them a few times and I see their poop all over the place. Don’t wanna run into one in the woods. Far more dangerous than a bear. Seen a few bear and they just run away. Last time, looking down a slope, saw one about 100 yards away. I barked at it like a made dog and it ran away. Seen bear poop even in my backyard. A neighbor shot one breaking into his chicken coop- he has guns as he’s a local cop. Saw a bobcat while sitting in my little orchard behind the house- first time. It was bigger than I thought- wouldn’t want to get too close.
Frank Jotzo said renewable energy projects have a “minimal” impact on the environment.
It is amazing when a professor doesn’t have a clue about the concept of scale.
Well, maybe he does. His career appears to be based on being paid for his ClimateCult© positions, so he scales up while environmental things get the shaft.
He’s probably never been out of the office long enough to see one :<)
DON’T LOOK UP!
Froggies are more likely to receive sympathetic treatment from greenies.
Multiple development projects in Australia have been stopped, delayed, or significantly altered due to the discovery of endangered frog species.
Recent and Significant Examples
Projects Currently Under Review or Impacted
I wonder how many of these frogs are crisis actors?
Placed there the day before “discovery “.
Is the cane toad still expanding south along the eastern coast? (Haven’t heard a word in 30 years.)
No stopping cane toads.
A #1 wood is the only effective weapon against cane toads.
Funny, I’ve never seen the spread of cane toads blamed on climate change.
Could that be because the CSIRO had a big hand in the importation of cane toads into Oz?
“Froggies are more likely to receive sympathetic treatment from greenies.”
And rare insects- I once had a logging project held up for several months over some bug. I almost blew a gasket in my brain over that.
““Climate change is the far bigger threat to biodiversity, to our environment, agricultural systems and economy.””
This is just baseless mantra rhetoric and is a LIE.
CO2 has zero effect except to enhance plant growth… totally beneficial to the planet.
Slight natural warming is also highly beneficial to growing seasons and crop production.
The thing that really DESTROYS biodiversity is the massive habitat destruction and partitioning of wind industrial estates, and the accompanying soil, ground water, and wild-life destruction while in use.
I’ll ask again, because I’d like to know
Apart from a slight warming from solar and albedo effects…
… in what way has the global climate change in the last say 50 years.
All the data I’ve seen about hurricane, droughts, rainfall etc etc etc,, indicates..
.. basically NOTHING.. just random natural variability
Winters here in Milwaukee seem to be warmer than the sub-zero blasts of the ’60s & ’70s. Indeed, in the ’70s it was Global Cooling.
I did say, “apart from a slight warming”. 😉
Probably few people in that city are missing those sub-zero blasts. Same here in Wokeachusetts. We used to have many sub zero F days most winters- now just a few. Nothing to worry about.
What it all boils down to is that the Climate adzeholes really don’t give a fork for anything except their precious Climate Religion.
And the money and power and control gained.
Calling CC religion is accurate. And history is full of examples of religious wars. Religious-like belief in CC provides group belonging and cohesion, which cannot be assailed by logic or scientific fact. Change to the CC religion will come, gradually, as they lose membership over time and cease to command public attention/adoration. To use a term, it’s an ‘organic’ process of demise, already happening. Grab your popcorn!
It is good that more people are saying no to wind because of the number of birds killed by the blades but the bigger issue is that wind doesn’t work. It is incredibly expensive, needs 24/7 backup by fossil fuel or nuclear and requires expensive storage. There is no reason to build wind for connection to the grid.
Regarding the above article, IMHO both sides are “most to blame” /sarc.
The “green renewable” wind farm advocates obviously should pressure for installation of wire screens having about 2 cm square mesh around the towering turbines so as to prevent bats and birds from flying into the kill zone of the rotating blades.
But on the other hand, the advocates for preserving nature’s fauna should be teaching the bats and birds to not to fly into the paths of unshielded but operating turbines, and to even instruct/train them to avoid the needed shield enclosures yet to come.
Harold The Organic Chemist Says:
ATTN: Aussies
RE: No Increase in the Warming Of Air in Australia Since 1901
For an Australia temperature check, I went to:
https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/countries/australia/average-temperature-by-year. The Tmax and Tmin data from 1901 to 2024 are displayed in a table. Here are the data for these two years:
Year——-Tmax——-Tmin——-Tavg Temperatures are ° C
2024——-29.7——–15.9——–22.8
1901——-28.6——–14.5——–21.6
Change—+1.1——–+1.4——–+1.2
CO2 Concentration Data
2024: 424 pmmv (0.83 g CO2/cu. m. of air)
1901: 295 ppmv (0.58 g CO2/cu. m. of air)
After 123 years there has been only an apparent slight warming of air in Australia.
What needs to be determined is the value of natural variation of Tmax and Tmin.
Note that there is little CO2 in the air.
Harold The Organic Chemist Says:
ATTN: Aussies
For an Australia temperature check, I went to:
https://www.extremeweatherwatch/countries/australia/average-temperature-by-year.
The Tmax and Tmin data from 1901 to 2024 are displayed in table. Here are the Tmax and Tmin data for these two dates:
Year——-Tmax——-Tmin——-Tavg Temperatures are ° C
2024——-29.7——–15.9——–22.8
1901——-28.6——–14.5——–21.6
Change—+1.1——–+1.4——–+1.2
CO2 Concentration Data:
2024: 424 ppmv, 0.83 g CO2/cu. m. of air
1901: 295 ppmv, 0.58 g CO2/cu. m. of air.
After 123 years, there has been only an apparent slight warming in Australia. What needs to be determined is natural variation of temperature. The limited data also means that the there is no need to control the emission of CO2 from the use of fossil fuels.
I have no idea why my comment was posted twice.
you can say that again.
Meanwhile in Wyoming…..
Story to
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/energy/wyoming-conservation-group-sues-federal-agency-obtain-data-eagles-killed
Surprised the Greens haven’t suggested putting big cages around wind towers.
That would be admitting that there is a problem.
The headline and the story highlights the hypocrisy of ‘environmentalist’ support of the rollout of renewables and its destruction of vast tracts of the landscape including woodlands, mountain tops and productive farmland for the ‘greater good’. A ‘greater good’ based on the fiction that anthropogenic ‘plant food’ emissions are boiling our planet.
While many articles posted here expertly refute the narrative of Catastrophic Anthropogenic Global Warming (CAGW) and vast majority of comments on articles claiming anthropogenic ‘plant food’ emissions cause major adverse events are expertly refuted, many here continue to validate the alarmist narrative to garner support of nuclear power.
For Australia, with abundant coal and gas resources we don’t need the ‘renewables rollout’ or ‘nuclear build-out’. The introduction of nuclear power stations should be determined by sound economic principles not ideology or appeasement of ‘plant food’ emission alarmists.
There is great upheaval in the nuclear power industry with the development of SMRs, various fuel technologies and the ever hopeful expectation of the corralling of nuclear fusion and Australia can be a future beneficiary of these advancements but we should not be rushing to the front of queue. We would do better committing to build several new generation coal fired power stations, schedule the replacement of aging facilities and reenter the nuclear debate in 50years time.
By then the Australian public may have overcome their inherent ‘fear’ of all things nuclear, we have approved a nuclear waste site and a government will have repealed the following Commonwealth legislation:
A. Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998, Section 10, Prohibition on certain nuclear installations, and
B. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Section 140A, No approval for certain nuclear installations
Bill Bates, yours is a another welcome voice of rationality, practicality and just downright common sense in a topic that has been captured by irrationality and ideology (same thing).
Early Windfarm projects in Victoria were opposd by Green groups to protect the Orange Bellied Parrot. Where these groups have gone or what has changed their minds is not clear.
The blue-arsed warbler took priority.
(nobody has ever seen the iconic blue-arsed warbler, but let’s not get hung up on realities)
“As aging coal-fired power stations along Australia’s east coast reach the end of their lives”
Simple enough- just extend their lives. That’s what engineers are for.
I recently saw a Ukrainian video of one of their drones slamming into a Russian radar station in Crimea- which was right next to a wind turbine. I was hoping it would hit the turbine as I’d like to see how easy it would be to knock it out. The turbine probably cost as much as the radar station.
“Don’t it always seem to go
“That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone?
“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot”
Greens better start talking to Premier Rockliff of Tasmania he’s planning to build a wind farm on the NW Coast. However, if and when power is produced it will have to piped all the was to Burnie for transmission to Victoria