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posted by Fnord666 on Friday December 27 2019, @01:13PM   Printer-friendly
from the consequences dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

With countries such as Iceland, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and Norway adopting green energy practices, renewable energy now accounts for a third of the world's power. As this trend continues, more and more countries are looking to offshore energy sources to produce this renewable energy. In an Opinion publishing December 17 in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, researchers identify situations where green technology such as wind turbines, wave energy converters, and other marine renewable energy devices (MREDs) have had negative consequences on marine life.

While the researchers don't want to slow down active responses to climate change, they do encourage those making the decision to implement MREDs into marine habitats to consider the impact of this technology, such as head trauma and hearing loss, on marine animals before beginning construction.

"When people put a wind farm in their back yard, neighbors might complain that it's ugly and want it moved," says first author Andrew Wright, an ocean and ecosystem scientist at the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. "So, they think, why not put it off shore where we can't see it and then there's no problems? The assumption there is that it's just an aesthetic problem. But there's a lot more to it."

Journal Reference: Andrew J. Wright, Claryana Araújo-Wang, John Y. Wang, Peter S. Ross, Jakob Tougaard, Robin Winkler, Melissa C. Márquez, Frances C. Robertson, Kayleigh Fawcett Williams, Randall R. Reeves. How ‘Blue’ Is ‘Green’ Energy? Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.11.002


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  • (Score: 2) by Tokolosh on Saturday December 28 2019, @05:21PM

    by Tokolosh (585) on Saturday December 28 2019, @05:21PM (#936885)

    When oil and gas platforms were installed in the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea, the local fishing industry fought it tooth and nail. Eventually they got a concession that facilities would be completely removed at the end of production life. When the end finally rolled around, the oil company operators lobbied to only topple the platforms, arguing that they did not harm sea life. Once again they succeeded in getting a few concessions, as an experiment. Fishermen and conservationists were horrified, arguing that this was the thin edge of the wedge.

    What is the status today? Fishermen and conservationists are insisting that the facilities be left, in a program called "rigs to reefs". They attract and shelter so much marine life that they are considered a boon. They even sink old NY subway carriages to make artificial reefs. Not all change is bad.

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