How vested interests exploit rural communities about “wind turbine syndrome”
a community that is well-informed, consulted and empowered is much more likely to welcome the development of clean technology, and reject the offerings of anti-wind groups selling a narrative of fear and danger..
The theory of wind turbine syndrome was not sourced from empirical scientific investigation – it was borne of a heady mix of human nature and vested interests,
stew of sentiment and pseudoscience bubbles below the surface, and the link need only be completed by motivated and well-funded lobby groups with no desire to adhere to the bounds of scientific inquiry
Consultation is the key to curing wind turbine syndrome KETAN JOSHI ABC Environment3 FEB 2014 Joshi 7 MAY 2013 Wind turbine syndrome is a symptom of a community that feels it has lost control. It has very little to do with wind farms and ‘infrasound’. PRIME MINISTER TONY ABBOTT’S intention to open a fresh investigation into the vexed issue of ‘wind turbine syndrome’ hasn’t impressed many.
Mick Vagg, SeniorLecturer at Deakin University wrote that ‘there is no scientific justification for any further investigation of ‘wind turbine syndrome'”.
Meanwhile the anti-wind Waubra Foundationsupports the plan…….
a community that is well-informed, consulted and empowered is much more likely to welcome the development of clean technology, and reject the offerings of anti-wind groups selling a narrative of fear and danger…….
Wind turbine syndrome, a term coined by Nina Pierpont, the wife of an American anti-wind activist in 2009, centres around the theory that wind farm ‘infrasound’ can cause direct adverse health impacts in human beings.
The hypothesis has propagated across select Australian wind developments, propelled almost exclusively by the work of the Waubra Foundation, a group focused on visiting communities considering wind farm developments and prophesising impending epidemics of the mysterious syndrome.They operate as a ‘health promotion charity’, and have called for tax-deductible donations to help fight wind farm developments in planning courts. The promotion of wind turbine syndrome is clearly aligned with efforts to suppress the development of renewable energy.
The declared symptoms of wind turbine syndrome are broad and unbelievable, which suggests a complex array of factors are responsible for these claims, rather than solely concerns about the local area – usually described as ‘NIMBYism’. One of these factors seems to be the perception of a lack of control.
Consistently, communities that feel disconnected from the process of wind farm development seem more likely to misjudge the risks posed by that development, and anti-wind groups are quick to take full advantage of that sentiment……..
Recently, Abbott was interviewed by Alan Jones, and his comments on wind farms mirror those he delivered to the mobile phone tower protesters: “I absolutely understand why people are anxious about these things that are sprouting like mushrooms all over the fields of our country”. His metaphor, of uncontrolled fungal proliferation across our country, ticks all the necessary boxes in catalysing feelings of powerlessness and invasion.
In the early 2000s, diligent community engagement was sufficient to address the concerns of those who lived near wind farms. But in the past four years, claims propagated by anti-wind groups like including the Waubra Foundation have super-charged sentiment and completed the link between control and risk needed to breathe life into health fears around clean energy.
The theory of wind turbine syndrome was not sourced from empirical scientific investigation – it was borne of a heady mix of human nature and vested interests, and consequently, the broad claims of health impacts seem far-fetched and comical to those who do not feel the same frustrations. Despite the consistent rejection of the claims of anti-wind groups by health authorities, the link remains effective, and worryingly, there’s no reason to suspect it will be limited to wind farms.
A planned 20 megawatt solar facility in the ACT has already sparked opposition, with a mishmash of arguments that strongly echo organised opposition to wind energy: “We are also concerned about the effect that the glare may have on those homes that overlook the proposed solar farm as well as the impact on water, flora and fauna” state opponents of the solar facility.
Portentous warnings of ailments almost identical to the vague symptoms of wind turbine syndrome, such as headaches, feelings of pressure in the head and feeling of general unwellness can be found online, in a fraction of a second. The same stew of sentiment and pseudoscience bubbles below the surface, and the link need only be completed by motivated and well-funded lobby groups with no desire to adhere to the bounds of scientific inquiry………http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2014/02/03/3935067.htm
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