Wednesday, 15 February 2012

Turbines versus oil wells on the Wolds


I 've been asked by BBC Radio Humberside to discuss theissue of wind turbines – again  (we Greens get a little bit annoyed whenwe are asked only about environmental issues when we have the full range ofeconomic and social policies).  Anyway, to get to the point -  EastYorks Council (ERYC) is wanting to make the Wolds an area of outstandingnatural beauty (AONB) in order to stop wind farm applications there.  Ifind this incredible.  Not that I don’t think the Wolds are beautifulbecause I do.  It’s the fact that ERYC doesn’t want wind turbines, butthey don’t mind oil drilling!  They have agreed to let a Canadian oil firmstart exploratory drilling near Walkington!   It’s ironic becausewind turbines harness free clean energy, and polls tell us that most peopleapprove of them and  like how they look, whereas  oil is a fossilfuel (carbon laid down millions of years ago) which produces CO2 when burned,which  is responsible for  climate change  - which is killing150,000 people a year (World Health Organisation).  How crazy isthat?  Or don’t they/we mind because the people dying are a long way away?

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