Thousands of bats have been killed by wind turbines causing a population decline that could cost the farming industry billions each year, experts claim.
The nocturnal creatures are welcomed by farmers across the world as they eat large numbers of insects that usually damage crops.
This reduces the amount that farmers have to spend on pesticides and saves millions of new plants that could be obliterated by the creepy crawlies.
....'Not acting is not an option because the life histories of these flying nocturnal mammals - characterised by long generation times and low reproductive rates - mean that population recovery is unlikely for decades or even centuries, if at all,' Dr Gary McCracken from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville told the Daily Telegraph.He added: 'Without bats, crop yields are affected. Pesticide applications go up. Even if our estimates were quartered, they clearly show how bats have enormous potential to influence the economics of agriculture and forestry.'
Well. Given the food-price inflation we're seeing (and it will get worse), what's another few bucks for an ear of corn?
HT: Apostasy
11 comments:
No doubt just a bunch of AGW deniers paid for by the Koch Brothers to stop President Obama's dream of green energy to enrich the Bush-Cheney-Rove-Halliburton-Big Oil cartel.
And how worried would either of you be about the wildlife and crops in this area if these turbines were a strip mine?
No doubt you'd be trivializing this who episode and having a good laugh about the environmentalist wackos worried about a few bats.
There's a difference.
Strip mines actually produce stuff reliably, unlike turbines.
BTW, no bats are endangered by strip mines--nor geese, nor ducks, nor eagles.
Struppster, I'm just marveling at the hypocrisy of the left in this stuff. The point is EXACTLY that had it been the "evil" strip mine, oil platform, logging or other operation the enviros don't like, they'd be on this like a duck on a June bug. But since it is the altar of the "green" (it's not really, but that's an argument for another day) windmill, their silence is deafening.
The Left is hypocritical on nearly everything. There is a new war in Libya, courtesy of the Obama Administration (this one is REALLY illegal, but again, for another day), but I only see protests against the (legal, though unconstitutional) war in Iraq. Why do you suppose that might be? And Libya really is "blood for oil". European oil, but oil nonetheless.
Yeah just the other day I was thinking of buying some strip mine front property for all the scenery, wildlife and tasty drinking water.
If you have an issue with wind power as a productive energy source thats one thing. But don't claim you give a rip about a couple of bats and 15 acres of lost corn production driving up food prices.
There's zero chance you would believe this bat story if it wansnt tied to wind energy.
THAT is the hyprocricy in this case deek.
Nice try, Struppster. I gave no opinion on whether or not I gave a shit about the bats. I just commented on who MUST have been responsible for the obviously flawed research. Ya know, maybe it was them f-n Teabaggers, eh?
The hypocrisy remains on the Left.
My second to last comment was directed at dadster.
Well, Struppster, give me something to believe! I know that strip-mining has been environmentally damn-near-perfect in the last 10 years. So are you operating in the last century still?
The GreenWeenies want wind-power. Great. Now they ought to accept the fact that it has consequences which are (egads!!) environmentally terrible.
Just like--oh, burning coal, or petrol, or whatever.
And by the way, you just HATE to admit that food prices are going up, don'cha?
Dadster, I'm not emotionally attached to wind power or coal mines actually. Personally, I'm benefitting a great deal from the boom in the oil and mining industries.
I was just pointing out that your sudden love affair with bats and corn seems to coincide with your hatred of wind turbines.
And I have no problem admitting that food prices are going up (compared to recent data). I've admitted that they were going up on a couple of occasions. The cause and severity of food inflation is where we differ right now. You seem to think that food inflation is somehow Fed. induced and out of control which is completely ridiculous. That's all.
Pesticides kill beneficial creatures, too, but we don't see Dad29 complaining about that.
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