Landscape Guardians – anything to stop action on Climate Change
I had the interesting experience of sitting through a recent Landscape Guardians meeting, with a panel of their “experts” including Randall Bell, in the small community of Barunah Park, west of Geelong.
“Any weapon” is what they use, and FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) tactics are their specialty…..the Guardians are part of the murky network of climate deniers, fossil fuel lobbyists, and hard-right Liberal party types. Their president has acknowledged they are waging a political battle against environmentalists.
Anti-wind power lobby: Farming fear, uncertainty and doubt, Green Left Weekly, July 30, 2011 , By Ben Courtice, The ABC’s Four Corners on July 25 showcased the national debate around wind farms’ alleged negative health effects.
It patiently allowed the anti-wind power Waubra Foundation to walk the audience through their case that wind farms are a health hazard. Many people I have met are curious to know if there is any truth to the allegations.
Though less emotive than the anti-wind campaigners, the scientists who were interviewed in the program put a far more authoritative case: there has still not been found any causal link between wind farms and ill health. In the newest study revealed on the show, not even a statistical correlation was found in the population around wind farms.
Four Corners interviewed Randall Bell, the President of the Landscape Guardians, the community-mobilising anti-wind power campaign. Just for one second he let his guard slip and confirmed that his campaign is political and “you use any weapon you can to win that” in the reporter’s words.
I had the interesting experience of sitting through a recent Landscape Guardians meeting, with a panel of their “experts” including Randall Bell, in the small community of Barunah Park, west of Geelong.
“Any weapon” is what they use, and FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) tactics are their specialty.
The meeting heard a range of dubious, false and/or hysterical allegations about wind farms. They included everything but the kitchen sink. Wind farms don’t work, don’t reduce CO2, make your power bills increase, cause a mind-boggling array of serious medical symptoms, cause fires that farmers may end up liable for, cause job losses. Most of this was from unverified sources……
At this meeting, wind company representatives were told they weren’t allowed to speak or distribute their own information because they were biased, yet Brownell blatantly cited gas industry sources in support of the gas industry.
To blame wind turbines for a choice to use gas as backup energy is hardly fair…..
Sandi Keane has outlined the political links of the Guardians in more detail at the Independent Australia blog.
There is enough information to say that the Guardians are part of the murky network of climate deniers, fossil fuel lobbyists, and hard-right Liberal party types. Their president has acknowledged they are waging a political battle against environmentalists.
How close their links are to specific fossil fuel, Liberal factional, or nuclear interests is not the point. They’re a part of the mix, and another weapon in the war being waged to stop action on climate change.
Sadly, for communities that are genuinely concerned that wind developments may cause them problems, the appearance of these manipulative political campaigners will only drive a wedge into communities and divide them more effectively than the developers ever could.
And sadly, not only can those communities lose the financial benefits of hosting wind turbines, we all lose as action to reduce carbon emissions is set back once more……Anti-wind power lobby: Farming fear, uncertainty and doubt | Green Left Weekly
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