14 DAY TRIAL // New researches conducted on the impact wind turbines have on biodiversity proved that the European Commission has nothing to worry about. Farm birds are not about to be decimated by the turbines, as doom-sayers “foretold.”
The findings are actually quite important, as the Commission has plans of supplying more than 20% of Europe's energy requirements via renewable energy by 2020. This means that many new turbines are to be built in low farmlands, along the coasts of England, the Netherlands and other countries that have low coastal plains. Had these studies revealed strong influences over birds’ migration patterns, then the European Union would have found itself in a position to choose between two environment-friendly proposals – eliminating pollution or protecting animals.
Dr. Mark Whittingham of Newcastle University conducted an experiment on two wind turbine plant locations in England, observing the way birds behave when around the electrical generators. With the exception of the pheasants, which tend not to move around a lot, all other species of birds that were observed seemed unaffected by the turbines.
The implications of these conclusions are extremely far-reaching, as the Commission based a full agri-environment scheme on the assertion that Europe would have the required amount of energy for the job by 2020. Policymakers and interest groups have expressed deep satisfaction with the results of the study, while saluting the political initiative the E.U. put forth.
Apparently, all concerns about possible effects on birds came from a single isolated incident where a wind turbine was placed directly in the path of migrating birds. Nowadays, turbines are spread at wider intervals in the field, decreasing the risks for such accidents. Also, they are much higher than before and even more silent, as technology has enabled the elimination of those loud and noisy rotors, which have been replaced with smoother and slower ones.