Wind farms are often built in unspoilt nature. This can have a negative climate effect, according to several nature conservation organizations.
Recently, the Norwegian Institute for Natural Research (NINA) published a report showing that about 500 times as much carbon is stored in Norwegian nature as Norway releases from greenhouse gases each year.
One of the conclusions was that the most important climate measure that can be implemented in Norway is to leave Norwegian nature as peaceful as possible.
– The long-standing practice of placing wind turbines in valuable and untouched nature must end, says Secretary General Kjetil Aa. Solbakken in the Norwegian Ornithological Association.
– Climate measures that destroy important nature must be scrapped. One does not save the world by destroying it bit by bit, he says.
Six of Norway’s open-air and nature conservation organizations now require the Government’s forthcoming Storting Report on wind power on land to include this knowledge in the calculations. If not, the climate measure wind power can have a negative climate effect, they believe.
“Developing large-scale wind power in important natural and outdoor areas can prove to be a poor climate solution,” writes the Nature Conservation Association, the WWF World Natural Fund, the Norwegian Tourist Association, the Norwegian Ornithological Association, Sabima and the Norwegian Hunters and Fishermen’s Association.
– The new NINA report shows that preserving intact nature is not only important for the diversity of nature itself. It is also important to stop catastrophic climate change. We must stop building down our valuable nature, and this also applies to wind power issues, says Silje Ask Lundberg, leader of the Nature Conservation Association.
– Indeed, nature is so valuable that it has greater value as untouched than as developed. The new licensing system must also realize this. We need a wind power policy that ensures that enough nature lies, says Chairman of the Board Per Hanasand in the Tourist Association.
Organizations require:
- The new licensing system must secure natural and outdoor recreation areas, both as carbon storage, as habitat for species and as a source of natural experiences.
- The NINA report states that “unmanaged and apparently unproductive ecosystems, such as alpine habitats and wetlands, have a significant ability to bind and store carbon.” This knowledge must be used when planning for wind power development.
- Other countries have developed tools to take into account the value of nature as a carbon storage in large area operations. Norway must have that too. Scottish authorities have developed their own carbon calculator where builders and others can calculate the carbon footprint of planned wind turbines.
General Secretary Christian Steel in Sabima says:
– Myr has the highest carbon density in the globe and one tenth of Norway’s area is marsh. If we build wind power on our marshes, we can in the worst case end up with a negative climate effect.
Government: Must reduce less nature
It has not been possible to get a comment from the Minister of Petroleum and Energy Tina Bru. Climate and Environment Minister Sveinung Rotevatn will not comment on the forthcoming announcement, as it is being written off in the Ministry of Brus. He has the following general comment:
– Taking care of nature’s natural carbon stocks is a very important part of climate solutions and climate cures How specific it will happen we will return to. But there is no doubt that we must downplay less Norwegian nature, he says.
