{"id":337955,"date":"2024-07-30T07:52:56","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T05:52:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=337955"},"modified":"2024-07-30T07:52:58","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T05:52:58","slug":"can-american-conservation-survive-green-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=337955","title":{"rendered":"Can American conservation survive \u2018Green\u2019 energy?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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

From CFACT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Portia Roberts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s summer, the ACs are cranking, SUVs are loaded, and families are hitting the road for beaches, forests, mountains, and National Parks. Thanks to our unique history of conservation and a culture of preservation, Americans have, for many decades, taken for granted their access to natural beauty. Reverence, even love of that natural beauty, is epitomized by our country\u2019s 400 National Parks, hundreds of miles of protected coasts<\/a>, and 800 million acres of forest, only 40% of which falls under government management<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organizations like Save the Bay and thousands more founded by concerned citizens serve to champion habitat restoration and protection. Indeed, such was the very foundation of the modern environmental movement spawning nonprofits that advocate for policy, educate, install oyster beds, guard sea turtles, clean woodlands, \u201csave the whales,\u201d remind drone operators about the negative impacts of unmanned vehicles on wildlife, and, of course, constrain or prevent drilling and mining projects to preserve species and habitats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now, the environmental movement is at odds with itself. The movement\u2019s full-throated embrace of so-called \u201cgreen energy,\u201d successfully amplified by unprecedented government mandates and subsidies, is leading to habitat-invading and beauty-destroying energy projects at scales that not only rankle onlookers but also those environmentalists still committed to stewardship and conservation\u2014and would shock the founders of the preservation movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In California, a 2,300-acre solar project requires destroying thousands of 150\u2013200-year-old Joshua Trees<\/a>, also the habitat of endangered desert tortoises. Locals object. Officials approve. The power generated in the eastern part of the state will reportedly benefit communities hundreds of miles west.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disputes in Maine about where to put massive wind turbine projects<\/a> pit environmental groups against conservationists intent on protecting wilderness and wildlife. Paradoxically, the state has the nation\u2019s strictest mining laws<\/a>, precluding any possibility of directly sourcing even a portion of the raw materials necessary to construct the turbines and solar panels slated for deployment to Maine\u2019s electrical grid. Meantime, in Vermont, a solar panel project that would cover 227 football fields<\/a> of pristine landscape is being vigorously opposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These so-called \u201cgreen\u201d technologies, useful in generating intermittent power in discrete conditions and geographies, not only impact the visual environment but also have, as yet, unknown impacts on our environment when deployed at scale. However, we are starting to get some indications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists are still studying impacts of massive off-shore wind installations on sea temperatures<\/a> and marine life<\/a>. Only now are some communities and environmental groups coming to terms with the monumental scale of non-recyclable plastic blade trash on the horizon as those turbines age out. Just this month at Vineyard Wind<\/a>, a partial blade from a single Eiffel Tower-sized wind turbine failed, dropped into the ocean, and necessitated several beach closures. Add to this other newly discovered consequences such as, for example, studies showing that massive solar installations often proposed for the Sahara Desert would contribute to higher global temperatures.<\/a> We also know large-scale solar installations cause<\/a> loss of habitat, confuse birds, drive runoff, pollute waterways, degrade soil health, and disrupt animal migration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite ample evidence that we should proceed with caution regarding industrial-scale  deployment of land-invading green energy, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) promises trillions to subsidize such projects. So-called green energy, with the notable exception of nuclear, is\u2014from mine to deployment\u2014extraordinarily land and resource intensive. Some environmental groups are beginning to raise alarms about both deep sea mining and<\/a> expanding conventional mining for the vast quantities of critical materials needed for aggressive electrification and large-scale solar and wind projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In total acres used per megawatt, coal, natural gas, and nuclear power have tiny footprints compared to wind and solar. A solar power plant typically requires 5 to 10 acres per megawatt<\/a>, while a natural gas plant uses less than a half an acre per megawatt<\/a>. These estimates don\u2019t even account for the increases in land mined for the necessary metals and mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 100 years since modern environmental conservation began, we have become increasingly more efficient in the resources and land we use to supply energy. But now, \u2018green\u2019 energy policies come at the expense of far greater land and water use. \u2018Green\u2019 policies also ignore increased foreign resource dependence and environmental impacts overseas. The production of useful energy, which drives economic productivity, is always about tradeoffs. Americans are unlikely to tolerate increasingly obvious \u2018green\u2019 tradeoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A future with denser, cleaner urban footprints that preserve natural habitats requires that we continue to decrease the natural resources and land we consume, particularly with our population predicted to peak anywhere from 20 to 60 years from now<\/a>. In addition to affordable cars, air conditioners, and smartphones, virtually all Americans want clean air and abundant, biodiverse seas and wide-open spaces our 19th<\/sup>-century forebearers helped to realize.  You can bet future generations will, too. It\u2019s in our nature. And our energy policies and choices should reflect that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Portia Roberts is the Policy Director for the National Center for Energy Analytics<\/a> <\/em>and holds an MA from Johns Hopkins SAIS.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article originally appeared at Real Clear Energy<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

It\u2019s summer, the ACs are cranking, SUVs are loaded, and families are hitting the road for beaches, forests, mountains, and National Parks. Thanks to our unique history of conservation and a culture of preservation, Americans have, for many decades, taken for granted their access to natural beauty. Reverence, even love of that natural beauty, is epitomized by our country\u2019s 400 National Parks, hundreds of miles of protected coasts, and 800 million acres of forest, only 40% of which falls under government management.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":337956,"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":[691818068,691829253,691819094,691829763],"class_list":{"0":"post-337955","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-maine","10":"tag-renewable-green-energy","11":"tag-vineyard-wind","13":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/0Massive-solar-farm.jpg?fit=2508%2C1672&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1pUT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":384412,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=384412","url_meta":{"origin":337955,"position":0},"title":"German fairytale forest disappears \u2013 wind farm destroys Hesse’s green cultural landscape","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"23\/06\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In the fairytale forest near Kassel, magic no longer grows. Where Sleeping Beauty once slept and Rapunzel looked out of the tower, excavators are now digging deep aisles into the earth. The Reinhardswald, one of the last large, contiguous forest areas in Germany, falls victim to the wind power industry.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"18 wind turbines\"","block_context":{"text":"18 wind turbines","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=18-wind-turbines"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-23.-Juni-2025-17_02_00.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-23.-Juni-2025-17_02_00.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-23.-Juni-2025-17_02_00.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-23.-Juni-2025-17_02_00.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0ChatGPT-Image-23.-Juni-2025-17_02_00.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":427397,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=427397","url_meta":{"origin":337955,"position":1},"title":"Yes, Republicans Support Solar and the Environment. My City Is Living Proof.","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"22\/02\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, a poll from Trump-aligned pollster Fabrizio, Lee & Associates shocked the chattering class by finding\u00a070% of Republican voters support American-made, utility-scale\u00a0solar\u2014supposedly anathema to today\u2019s conservative energy policy.","rel":"","context":"In \"environmental solutions\"","block_context":{"text":"environmental solutions","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=environmental-solutions"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-22-155120.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-22-155120.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-22-155120.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-22-155120.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/00Screenshot-2026-02-22-155120.png?fit=1200%2C598&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":306615,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=306615","url_meta":{"origin":337955,"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":"09\/03\/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. 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