Yes, Renewable Energy Sources Can Harm Wildlife.
But that is not a game-changer.
If we seek a source of energy to light and warm and cool our homes, and fuel our cars, that is without fault or flaw - effective and economic, efficient, and harmless in every way - then we will have to wait. And waiting, delaying, is tantamount to purposeful harm at present. There may be a day when a visionary, a Nikola Tesla 2.0, emerges and provides an energy source that does not require resource extraction, processing or manufacturing, construction or waste disposal … and can be implemented without push back from energy monopolies and their lobby groups. We should not and cannot wait for a magic solution to swoop down and save us from the consequences of our industrial progress; the weighing of our options for full and fast decarbonization is the exercise that requires our attention. The decisions that face us are far-reaching; the selection and actualization of an energy portfolio on a national stage has never been more important.
The image of a raptor or a bat killed by collisions with wind turbines and their blades, or of flocks of birds scorched from encounters with solar thermal utilities, is no less disheartening than the well-circulated images of animals covered in oil following a spill. We should not sugar-coat impacts by renewable sources in the vein of dish detergent…
