{"id":272650,"date":"2023-08-10T20:48:58","date_gmt":"2023-08-10T18:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=272650"},"modified":"2023-08-10T20:49:01","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T18:49:01","slug":"habitual-habitat-destruction-wind-industry-wiping-out-vast-tracts-of-virgin-rainforest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=272650","title":{"rendered":"Habitual Habitat Destruction: Wind Industry Wiping Out Vast Tracts of Virgin\u00a0Rainforest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"407\" data-attachment-id=\"272665\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=272665\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00winmd.jpg?fit=1440%2C810&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1440,810\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"00winmd\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00winmd.jpg?fit=723%2C407&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00winmd.jpg?resize=723%2C407&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-272665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00winmd.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00winmd.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00winmd.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00winmd.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00winmd.jpg?w=1440&amp;ssl=1 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"http:\/\/stopthesethings.com\/\">STOP THESE THINGS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"723\" height=\"407\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ypA4XkmbNxk?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once upon a time, environmentalists were known as \u2018tree huggers\u2019, these days the new \u2018green\u2019 cult can\u2019t destroy them fast enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the Scottish Highlands, so far,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/stopthesethings.com\/2020\/02\/22\/scotlands-wind-industry-clear-fells-17283-acres-wipes-out-14000000-trees-to-save-planet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">they\u2019ve wiped out over 14 million trees<\/a>, spread over more than 17,000 acres to clear the way for thousands of these industrial monstrosities; and, no, they don\u2019t replant them \u2013 any sizeable tree is an impediment to \u2018productivity\u2019, as it interferes with airflow and reduces wind speeds, and therefore wind power output. So, once they\u2019re gone, they\u2019re gone for good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Germany\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/stopthesethings.com\/2021\/05\/01\/black-forests-bleak-future-german-wilderness-wiped-out-to-make-way-for-1000-wind-turbines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Black Forest has been overrun, with chainsaws, bulldozers and blazing torches<\/a>\u00a0paving the way for our so-called \u2018green\u2019 energy transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And hundreds of ancient oaks in its thousand-year-old Fairytale Forest, the Reinhardswald,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/stopthesethings.com\/2022\/06\/03\/greens-destroying-germanys-ancient-forests-to-make-way-for-industrial-wind-turbines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">are under threat of being felled and shredded<\/a>, for the same reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the Amazon basin, the wind industry is merrily wiping out virgin rainforest, in order to strip the \u2018lungs of the Earth\u2019 of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/stopthesethings.com\/2021\/12\/18\/billions-of-wind-turbine-blades-built-with-balsa-wood-stripped-from-amazons-forests\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">millions of tonnes of balsa wood<\/a>\u00a0it needs to build hundreds of thousands of 50-80m turbine blades each year. You just know it makes good environmental sense, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Which brings us to northern Queensland\u2019s dryland tropical forests, which like their northern hemisphere counterparts, are all for the chop, if Queensland\u2019s wind and solar-obsessed government has its way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nick Cater provides the outrageous details below \u2013 with a few images provided by STT\u2019s FNQ operatives, taken at Kaban, where the wind industry\u2019s grand rainforest wipeout has already begun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Is Chalumbin set to be the new Franklin Dam?<\/strong><br>The Australian<br>Nick Cater<br>24 July 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are only 83,000 hectares of wet sclerophyll forest left in North Queensland. Ark Energy is just a ministerial tick away from ripping into a thousand to construct an industrial wind turbine development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ark Energy, a subsidiary of Korea Zinc, will learn in September if Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is prepared to disturb the tranquillity of the Chalumbin forest near Ravenshoe on the Atherton Tablelands to make way for 86 mega-wind turbines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"424\" data-attachment-id=\"272654\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=272654\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0new-turbines-north-queensland-2.png?fit=1138%2C667&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1138,667\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0new-turbines-north-queensland-2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0new-turbines-north-queensland-2.png?fit=723%2C424&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0new-turbines-north-queensland-2.png?resize=723%2C424&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-272654\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0new-turbines-north-queensland-2.png?resize=1024%2C600&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0new-turbines-north-queensland-2.png?resize=300%2C176&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0new-turbines-north-queensland-2.png?resize=768%2C450&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0new-turbines-north-queensland-2.png?w=1138&amp;ssl=1 1138w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chalumbin is the new Franklin, a pivotal moment in political and environmental history that will shape the Australian landscape for decades. This time, however, there is hardly a tree-hugger in sight. There\u2019s not been a squeak from the Australian Conservation Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund, Friends of the Earth or any of the usual suspects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the most crucial environmental battle of our times, the Greens are deeply conflicted. So too are the teal independents whose campaigns were funded by individuals and companies deeply invested in the renewable sector. Nothing they say on the subject is to be trusted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plibersek finds herself wedged. Knocking back Chalumbin will not help Labor ward off the challenge from the Greens in inner-city seats including her own. Energy Minister Chris Bowen, who has set the goal of erecting a 9MW wind turbine every 18 hours until 2030, will be curling his lips. It will be a test of Plibersek\u2019s ability to make a dispassionate assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Plibersek stops the Chalumbin project, it will send a message that the government is not prepared to sacrifice the greater glider to save the polar bear. It will be a long overdue acknowledgment that the rapacious, land-hungry demands of the renewable energy sector must be balanced against the protection of biodiversity and the spiritual connection to the land of Aboriginal people. If she doesn\u2019t, then anything goes. If this land isn\u2019t sacred, what is?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"482\" data-attachment-id=\"272655\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=272655\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0roads-kaban-2.jpg?fit=940%2C627&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"940,627\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0roads-kaban-2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0roads-kaban-2.jpg?fit=723%2C482&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0roads-kaban-2.jpg?resize=723%2C482&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-272655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0roads-kaban-2.jpg?w=940&amp;ssl=1 940w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0roads-kaban-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0roads-kaban-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ravenshoe is no stranger to ugly environmental battles. In 1987, Bob Hawke\u2019s environment minister, Graham Richardson, was punched and jostled by loggers angry that their industry was closing. Then-Queensland premier Joh Bjelke Petersen vehemently opposed Hawke\u2019s plan to seek World Heritage listing. Bob Katter, then a minister in the Petersen government, said Cairns should seek sister-city status with Berlin because the city was \u201cabout to be imprisoned by a wall of rainforest from which they would never be able to escape nor visit\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chalumbin will complete the encirclement of the Ravenshoe with steel, concrete and fibreglass. It will destroy scores of acres of the forests Richardson wanted to save. The newly constructed Kaban turbine development to the town\u2019s north offers a foretaste of the destruction. The 28 wind turbines are three times higher than the Story Bridge. They sit in rock cuttings up to 15 metres deep blasted into the hillside. Giant piles of trees lie in heaps on the side of the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"482\" data-attachment-id=\"272657\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=272657\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0trees-felled-kaban-1.jpg?fit=940%2C627&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"940,627\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0trees-felled-kaban-1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0trees-felled-kaban-1.jpg?fit=723%2C482&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0trees-felled-kaban-1.jpg?resize=723%2C482&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-272657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0trees-felled-kaban-1.jpg?w=940&amp;ssl=1 940w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0trees-felled-kaban-1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0trees-felled-kaban-1.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The impact on the Chalumbin forest is far more significant. It is adjacent to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Looking out at Chalumbin from a neighbouring hilltop, as I did last week in the company of traditional owners, it is impossible to tell where the border lies. The thick tropical forest continues as far as the eye can see and the ridges, on which 86 turbines will be constructed, are slap-bang in the middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The forest is home to vulnerable native species, including the Greater Glider and the Magnificent Brood Frog. It is the hunting ground for the Red Goshawk, one of Australia\u2019s rarest raptors. Their flight paths and unfortunate habit of flying towards hills to gain greater uplift make them peculiarly vulnerable to turbine strikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tim Nevard, an adjunct professor at the Cairns Institute at James Cook University, describes the application to build turbines on the site as ludicrous. \u201cOnce you start destroying that sort of habitat, it\u2019s gone and you can\u2019t replace it, no matter how you feel,\u201d he said. \u201cBiodiversity can\u2019t be destroyed in order to stop climate change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An Indigenous land use agreement with the Wabubadda Aboriginal Corporation, the registered Native Title Body Corporate, highlights the lack of accountable representation for Aboriginal elders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Chalumbin forest is the land of the Jirrbal people, who have inhabited the rainforest and coastal regions of far north Queensland for thousands of years. They have a strong spiritual connection to the land, which is reflected in their Dreamtime stories, creation myths and rituals that are passed down through generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Georgina Weiden, a Jirrbal woman, broke down in tears when she spoke about Chalumbin last week. \u201cOne of my grandmothers (was) born at the bottom of the gorge,\u201d she said. \u201cThose waterways, they were for initiation and birthing. That\u2019s where life comes from for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Construction on such a steep and inaccessible site is a major operation. It requires constructing more than 100km of new roads five to seven metres wide, carved through pristine native forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It requires dynamite and rock drilling to take the side off hills to construct roads with a shallow gradient so that 86 metre-long turbine blades can be double-hauled up the hillside by two trucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Chalumbin was going to produce enough electricity to produce 320,000 homes, as the company\u2019s glossy brochure claims, we could perceive a little method in what looks like an act of utter madness. That would comfortably take care of every occupied dwelling north of Mackay, avoiding the need to build more of these atrocities. There would be no need to proceed with the Upper Burdekin turbine development that threatens hundreds of acres of koala habit. The environmentally sensitive Lotus Creek development could be called off. Kaban and the Mount Emerald turbine development near Atherton could be pulled down and the landscape rehabilitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"424\" data-attachment-id=\"272660\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=272660\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-396.png?fit=1138%2C667&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1138,667\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image-396\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-396.png?fit=723%2C424&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-396.png?resize=723%2C424&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-272660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-396.png?resize=1024%2C600&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-396.png?resize=300%2C176&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-396.png?resize=768%2C450&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-396.png?w=1138&amp;ssl=1 1138w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We know, however, that these figures are based on the utterly ridiculous assumption that the generators will operate at full capacity, 24 hours a day and then some. Ditto the claim that the Chalumbin development will avoid 17 million tonnes of carbon emissions over the plant\u2019s 30-year existence. A 1200ha wet sclerophyll forest stores between two and 20 times that amount of carbon and continues to absorb more yearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What happens after 30 years is anybody\u2019s guess. But there\u2019s a clue in Kidner\u2019s Quarry, some 15km to the north. Several dozen worn-out 20-metre turbine blades removed from the 23-year-old Windy Hill Wind Farm have been dumped in an open grave. It is unclear how long they\u2019ve been sitting there or whether there are any plans to move them elsewhere. It\u2019s just another of the dirty secrets in the clean-energy game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Nick Cater is senior fellow at the Menzies Research Centre.<\/em><br><em><strong>The Australian<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"300\" data-attachment-id=\"272662\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=272662\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0bladesedited.png?fit=982%2C407&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"982,407\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0bladesedited\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0bladesedited.png?fit=723%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0bladesedited.png?resize=723%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-272662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0bladesedited.png?w=982&amp;ssl=1 982w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0bladesedited.png?resize=300%2C124&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0bladesedited.png?resize=768%2C318&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">New enviro-ethics: wreck a pristine forest, milk the subsidies, dump, cut and run.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Once upon a time, environmentalists were known as \u2018tree huggers\u2019, these days the new \u2018green\u2019 cult can\u2019t destroy them fast enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":272665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818500,691818502,691819094,691821753,691818299,691821752,691818179],"class_list":{"0":"post-272650","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-germanys-black-forest","9":"tag-reinhardswald","10":"tag-renewable-green-energy","11":"tag-scottish-highlands","12":"tag-subsidies","13":"tag-virgin-rainforest","14":"tag-wind-industry","16":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/00winmd.jpg?fit=1440%2C810&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-18VA","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":242962,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=242962","url_meta":{"origin":272650,"position":0},"title":"Green Hypocrites: Ancient Rainforests Being Stripped To Make Way For Hundreds of Wind Turbines","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/02\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The wind industry is the Grand Master of green hypocrisy; leaving a wake of environmental destruction, wherever it plies its subsidy-soaked trade.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-102.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-102.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-102.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-102.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-102.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":253139,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=253139","url_meta":{"origin":272650,"position":1},"title":"Zero Sum Game: Industrial Wind &#038; Solar Destroying the Environment to \u2018Save the Planet\u2019","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"16\/04\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Environmentalists were once known as \u2018tree huggers\u2019. Now, a new \u2018green\u2019 cult clear-fells them to make way for hundreds of wind turbines or seas of solar panels.","rel":"","context":"In \"Environmentalists\"","block_context":{"text":"Environmentalists","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=environmentalists"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/00347b82339c0561412f692798c280f6fb.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/00347b82339c0561412f692798c280f6fb.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/00347b82339c0561412f692798c280f6fb.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/00347b82339c0561412f692798c280f6fb.jpg?fit=1200%2C674&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, 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comments","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=242428#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/00Wind-Energy-Whitelee-the-UKs-Largest-On-Shore-Windfarm-L2112-16.jpg?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/00Wind-Energy-Whitelee-the-UKs-Largest-On-Shore-Windfarm-L2112-16.jpg?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/00Wind-Energy-Whitelee-the-UKs-Largest-On-Shore-Windfarm-L2112-16.jpg?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/00Wind-Energy-Whitelee-the-UKs-Largest-On-Shore-Windfarm-L2112-16.jpg?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, 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Forest into sawdust and smoking ruins\u00a0or ripping the Amazon basin apart to extract the\u00a0millions of tonnes of balsa wood\u00a0it needs to build hundreds of thousands of 50-80m turbine blades each year,\u00a0the wind industry\u2019s \u2018couldn\u2019t care less attitude\u2019\u00a0is prone\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Chalumbin region\"","block_context":{"text":"Chalumbin region","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=chalumbin-region"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/0GettyImages-149355171_high.jpg?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/0GettyImages-149355171_high.jpg?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/0GettyImages-149355171_high.jpg?fit=1200%2C803&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, 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Starmer","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=keir-starmer"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0JCKF1J1CK7NBJTDYF60X.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0JCKF1J1CK7NBJTDYF60X.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0JCKF1J1CK7NBJTDYF60X.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0JCKF1J1CK7NBJTDYF60X.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/0JCKF1J1CK7NBJTDYF60X.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=272650"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272650\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":272667,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272650\/revisions\/272667"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/272665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=272650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=272650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=272650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}