Impact of climate change is much uglier than wind turbines

Are offshore wind turbines or high-rise buildings the greater aesthetic, social and environmental challenge for Maryland’s shores (“Ocean City leadership has gone off the deep end on offshore wind,” Feb. 22)? I find high-rises far more unsightly, and they are the ultimate environmental threat to what used to be sensitive beach areas. They, the people they house, and the businesses they support, are increasingly vulnerable to monster storms and surges brought on by climate change.

Maryland payers pay now to build shoreline resilience and will have to pay later for recovery and rebuilding. However, we’ve learned to tolerate these structures so that those who can afford to stay in them can have beach access.

Offshore wind turbines, on the other hand, will barely be seen from land, and many find them beautiful. I can personally attest they are far superior in appearance and safety to oil rigs I see when visiting the Gulf Coast. For those concerned about possible injury to birds and marine life, there are many mitigation strategies to minimize any harm. But for me, an avid nature lover, the clean energy environmental benefits of turbines far outweigh those worries.

We have reached the time when climate change is already radically affecting all those who live, work on and visit the coasts — not to mention those who experience droughts, fires and floods now routinely inland. I’m a whole lot more concerned about whether my family can avoid the worst of those effects than I am about tiny changes to their beachfront experience.

— Sally Kelly, Chevy Chase