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It’s a Fact: Wind Farms and Birds Can Coexist Peacefully

Understandably, a lot of people worry that wildlife (especially birds) are killed by wind turbines. But wildlife and wind farms can coexist peacefully.

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This is an excerpt from our free e-book, It’s a Breeze: The Facts about Wind Energy.

Here’s what a lot of people don’t know: Wind power’s overall impact on birds is low compared with other human-related causes like tall buildings or traffic. In fact, if you compare wildlife deaths across energy sources, studies show that the oil, gas, and coal industries account for far more bird deaths than wind power.

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And climate change (driven by the fossil fuel industry) represents an enormous threat to birds. In fact, due to climate change, “shrinking and shifting ranges could imperil nearly half of US birds within this century,” according to a study by the National Audubon Society.

Better yet, new technology is making wind farms safer for birds all the time. In one case, researchers are developing a system where “antenna towers continuously scan for the birds' radio frequencies.” If a bird gets too close to a turbine, the system monitors recommend the operator temporarily shuts down the turbine.

We don’t have to choose between protecting wildlife and harnessing wind power – we can have both!

Get the Facts in Our Free New E-Book

In our brand-new e-book, we get straight to the facts about wind energy – because there’s a lot of good news to share.

Costs keep falling. The sector keeps putting more and more people to work. And growing numbers of cities, states, countries, and companies around the world are embracing wind as a powerful tool to cut emissions and create a sustainable future.

Big Polluters are blowing a lot of hot hair about wind energy. But you can download our free e-book now and help spread the facts.