Turbines: a blot on our landscape
FOR 25 years, my community fought against wind turbines on Mynydd y Gwair. Other than the local Conservatives, all the political parties were against us. We battled Swansea Council, the Welsh Assembly and the planning inspectorate, plus all those environmental supporters who now call themselves Extinction Rebellion. We also had to take on the might of British and German business. We won two public inquiries, but lost the final one. now the mountain has been destroyed for just eight megawatts of energy when the Uk demand is 40,000 to 60,000 megawatts. How will eight megawatts reverse climate change? There are 16 wind turbines on Mynydd y Gwair, all over the mountain at different heights. Each has three blades, making 48 blade tips moving at more than 95 miles per hour. Imagine the effect on scarce moorland birds such as skylarks, red kites, curlews, lapwings and snipe. Those who were opposed to the turbines were accused of being climate change deniers. So, I am glad to see some common sense from Australian aboriginal people who have not succumbed to the new religion of Greentopia. Here is their message to all of us who have to face up to the bullies in Extinction Rebellion: ‘They planned the land of make believe. They wanted water by drilling into the water table without building dams. Cheap reliable electricity without using coal or gas or nuclear power. Transport without using petrol or diesel. Food without farmers or fishermen. Employment without factories, motor fuels without refineries. Buildings without cement and steel. ‘Their countryside was uglified by paddocks of magic solar mirrors and forests of whirling bird-slicers and spider webs of access tracks and power lines that delivered abundant electricity when it was least needed and little at peak demand. ‘But the taps went dry, cattle and crops died, batteries went flat, lights went out, metals were smelted and refined in China, trains were built in India, cars and trucks came from Japan, motor fuels were imported from South-East Asia, construction slumped and savings fled to Zurich.’
IOAN RICHARD, Swansea.