{"id":301903,"date":"2024-02-15T14:32:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-15T13:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=301903"},"modified":"2024-02-15T14:33:22","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T13:33:22","slug":"wind-and-solar-slaughtering-indias-iconic-bird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=301903","title":{"rendered":"Wind and Solar Slaughtering India\u2019s Iconic Bird"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From The CO2 Coalition<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Vijay Jayaraj<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By commissioning expensive and inefficient wind and solar electric generating facilities, India may have dug the grave of its own efforts to save the critically endangered great Indian bustard. Erected to avert a faux climate crisis, the so-called renewable machines and their attendant transmission lines are helping to drive one of Earth\u2019s largest flying birds to the brink of extinction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avian aficionados such as myself have long bemoaned prioritizing wind and solar technologies at the expense of endangered species. Yet, the relentless push for needless climate solutions seems to ignore this as \u201cgreen energy\u201d installations and avian fatalities increase in tandem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though well documented, the issue of bird fatalities worldwide is frequently downplayed and, at times, even deemed a regrettable but essential consequence of the quasi-religious war against global warming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a master\u2019s student at the University of East Anglia, U.K., I did a specialized research thesis on the collision-mortality of endangered bird species in Southern Portugal, which included kestrels, eagles, falcons, harriers and the European great bustard, which is a relative of the Indian bird. Numerous other species were affected as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listed as Critically Endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the great Indian bustard stands more than 3 feet high and weighs more than 30 pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bird is endemic to the Thar desert region of West India. It has now become conclusive that wind and solar transmission lines in this region are driving their numbers very close to extinction in the wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2008, a survey estimated that there were only around 250 great Indian bustards in existence, limited to the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Fast forward to 2018, the count had dropped to 150, with 25 of these magnificent birds housed in the government\u2019s captive breeding centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prerna Singh Bindra, a wildlife conservationist and former member of the National Board for Wildlife, says<\/a>, \u201cIn recent years, the death blow to the great Indian bustard has come from unexpected quarters \u2014 the expanse of wind farms and power transmission lines that crisscross its last remaining habitats \u2026 The question that needs to be asked is, how green is renewable energy when it leads to the extinction of a critically endangered species?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If timely action is not taken, these grassland birds could be soon declared extinct, according to Indian biologists. The bustard\u2019s habitat was greatly restricted by transmission lines belonging to wind turbines. This is a common problem worldwide. Collision mortality, loss of breeding and forage habitats, and impedance of migratory pathways are some of the main impacts of wind turbines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not just the bustards. Over 100,000 birds of diverse species die as a result of electrocution from transmission lines connecting wind and solar to the grid, according to a Wildlife Institute of India report. The Supreme court of India, in a 2021 order, asked utility companies to install underground transmission lines and install markers to lessen hazards to birds. However, the companies continue to violate this order. Government interest in the case seems to be lacking, with insignificant funds allocated toward the issue and no proactive measures to assess bird populations or document changes in habitat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the country is very clear about ensuring continued use of fossil fuels to meet energy needs, the government\u2019s delay in dismantling useless renewable energy projects is especially disappointing in light of their devastating effect on birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arguments of \u201cgreen\u201d advocates that equate green energy infrastructure with house cats that also kill birds trivialize the issue. The feline at home is more likely a target than a predator of raptors and would rarely encounter aquatic species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this instance, the color of the climate alarmists\u2019 favored machines is blood red, not green.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should cite a source for this. Some may argue that hunting and\/or loss of habitat is contributing to the bird\u2019s decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who says so?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This commentary was first published in American Thinker<\/a> on February 11, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vijay Jayaraj<\/a> is a Research Associate at the CO2 Coalition<\/a>, Arlington, Virginia.  He holds a master\u2019s degree in environmental sciences from the University of East Anglia, U.K.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo credit: Parth Kansara, CC BY 4.0 <https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0&gt<\/a>;, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tags:<\/strong> Vijay Jayaraj<\/a>, wind and solar energy<\/a>, kestrels<\/a>, eagles<\/a>, falcons<\/a>, harriers<\/a>, European great bustard<\/a>, Indian bustard<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By commissioning expensive and inefficient wind and solar electric generating facilities, India may have dug the grave of its own efforts to save the critically endangered great Indian bustard. Erected to avert a faux climate crisis, the so-called renewable machines and their attendant transmission lines are helping to drive one of Earth\u2019s largest flying birds to the brink of extinction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":301905,"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":"By commissioning expensive and inefficient wind and solar electric generating facilities, India may have dug the grave of its own efforts to save the critically endangered great Indian bustard. Erected to avert a faux climate crisis, the so-called renewab","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"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":[691818721,691818087,691826939,691819094],"class_list":{"0":"post-301903","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-climate-alarmists","9":"tag-global-warming","10":"tag-indian-bustard","11":"tag-renewable-green-energy","13":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0Indian-bustard-grasslands-state-Rajasthan.webp?fit=1600%2C1114&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1gxp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":303717,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=303717","url_meta":{"origin":301903,"position":0},"title":"Fears Over Massive Expansion in Electric Cables Due to Renewables as Great Indian Bustard Heads for Electrocution Extinction","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/21\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"There are growing fears that one of India\u2019s iconic large birds, the great Indian bustard, is about to go extinct due to the growth of electric transmission lines in its home area of the Thar desert. Prioritising wind and solar power has led to a growth of transmission lines with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"birds\"","block_context":{"text":"birds","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=birds"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0-Great-Indian-Bustard.jpeg?fit=1200%2C767&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0-Great-Indian-Bustard.jpeg?fit=1200%2C767&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0-Great-Indian-Bustard.jpeg?fit=1200%2C767&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0-Great-Indian-Bustard.jpeg?fit=1200%2C767&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/0-Great-Indian-Bustard.jpeg?fit=1200%2C767&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":383725,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=383725","url_meta":{"origin":301903,"position":1},"title":"Spain\u2019s Impossible Dream Of \u2018Green\u2019 Electricity","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/19\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Thousands of wind turbines and millions of solar panels generated a massive blackout","rel":"","context":"In \"biggest blackout ever\"","block_context":{"text":"biggest blackout ever","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=biggest-blackout-ever"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Blackout.webp?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Blackout.webp?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Blackout.webp?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Blackout.webp?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":306615,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=306615","url_meta":{"origin":301903,"position":2},"title":"Germany Begins Felling 120,000 Trees From \u2018Fairy Tale\u2019 Forest to Make Way for Wind Turbines","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/09\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The windmills are spinning golden subsidies in the central German \u2018fairy tale\u2019 forest of Reinhardswald, but the payment is the partial destruction of the 1,000 year-old ancient wood itself. Work has started on the clearing of up to 120,000 trees in the forest, the setting for many of the Brothers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"climate alarmism\"","block_context":{"text":"climate alarmism","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-alarmism"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0herbst_klein_dennis-busch_fullwidth.jpg?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0herbst_klein_dennis-busch_fullwidth.jpg?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0herbst_klein_dennis-busch_fullwidth.jpg?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0herbst_klein_dennis-busch_fullwidth.jpg?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0herbst_klein_dennis-busch_fullwidth.jpg?fit=1200%2C899&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":395221,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=395221","url_meta":{"origin":301903,"position":3},"title":"Solar Blasphemy in India\u2019s Thar Desert\u00a0","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/15\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The push for solar energy is carving a path of destruction through the Thar Desert in India\u2019s Rajasthan, where native species maintain a delicate balance of life now being sacrificed to an absurd and futile climate agenda.\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In \"birds\"","block_context":{"text":"birds","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=birds"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQNqvFFZ7gLjNJQdWu5z6A3hQ9lDeAdJ9Vlu4mdcx72-6a3aQEO65I86Fg9mXdLydRkV0PpvooXUOD3OS3N3dEx5i2g9bRnZTz6W5p-1ixDiOAk6DNYChA_SKRWdtGcOlniUbJBSYB7YfJPK-VbMOgsjXBjR1Q-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQNqvFFZ7gLjNJQdWu5z6A3hQ9lDeAdJ9Vlu4mdcx72-6a3aQEO65I86Fg9mXdLydRkV0PpvooXUOD3OS3N3dEx5i2g9bRnZTz6W5p-1ixDiOAk6DNYChA_SKRWdtGcOlniUbJBSYB7YfJPK-VbMOgsjXBjR1Q-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQNqvFFZ7gLjNJQdWu5z6A3hQ9lDeAdJ9Vlu4mdcx72-6a3aQEO65I86Fg9mXdLydRkV0PpvooXUOD3OS3N3dEx5i2g9bRnZTz6W5p-1ixDiOAk6DNYChA_SKRWdtGcOlniUbJBSYB7YfJPK-VbMOgsjXBjR1Q-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQNqvFFZ7gLjNJQdWu5z6A3hQ9lDeAdJ9Vlu4mdcx72-6a3aQEO65I86Fg9mXdLydRkV0PpvooXUOD3OS3N3dEx5i2g9bRnZTz6W5p-1ixDiOAk6DNYChA_SKRWdtGcOlniUbJBSYB7YfJPK-VbMOgsjXBjR1Q-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0AQNqvFFZ7gLjNJQdWu5z6A3hQ9lDeAdJ9Vlu4mdcx72-6a3aQEO65I86Fg9mXdLydRkV0PpvooXUOD3OS3N3dEx5i2g9bRnZTz6W5p-1ixDiOAk6DNYChA_SKRWdtGcOlniUbJBSYB7YfJPK-VbMOgsjXBjR1Q-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":348708,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=348708","url_meta":{"origin":301903,"position":4},"title":"Rural and coastal residents delay, block green energy projects","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/24\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Environmentalists insist that they love the \u201clittle guys\u201d \u2014 until they get in their way, ask inconvenient questions or try to block renewable energy projects intended to save the planet from \u201chuman-caused climate cataclysms.\u201d","rel":"","context":"In \"Biden-Harris Administration\"","block_context":{"text":"Biden-Harris Administration","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=biden-harris-administration"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Wind-solar-sky.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Wind-solar-sky.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Wind-solar-sky.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Wind-solar-sky.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Wind-solar-sky.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/0Wind-solar-sky.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":311140,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=311140","url_meta":{"origin":301903,"position":5},"title":"Coalition lawsuit demands regulators study offshore wind impacts on whales","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/21\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"CFACT is taking legal action to protect endangered Right Whales and other marine life from the Biden Administration\u2019s rush to approve massive clusters of wind farms along Virginia\u2019s shore.","rel":"","context":"In \"government mandates\"","block_context":{"text":"government mandates","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=government-mandates"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0fullsizeoutput_26c.webp?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0fullsizeoutput_26c.webp?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0fullsizeoutput_26c.webp?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0fullsizeoutput_26c.webp?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/0fullsizeoutput_26c.webp?fit=1200%2C797&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301903","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=301903"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":301908,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/301903\/revisions\/301908"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/301905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=301903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=301903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=301903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}