Environmental Campaigners Strongly Support More Wind Farms in the North-West
Echoing the national message from Friends of the Earth [1], local environmental campaign group Manchester Friends of the Earth (MFoE) [1] today stated that Government planning policy must be altered to encourage the development of renewable energy, including wind power, to help combat climate change.
So called “greenhouse gases” such as carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas to produce energy. Climate change is the name given to the increasingly frequent but unpredictable effects seen in our weather systems and our natural habitats as a consequence.
This weekend opponents of wind farms have organised a meeting in Saddleworth, Lancashire to try and co-ordinate their efforts to slow down the development of wind farms in the UK. Manchester Friends of the Earth however are unequivocal in their stance that the exploitation of the North-West’s resources of wind energy are crucial to reducing our contribution to climate change.
Dave Coleman, MFoE Climate Campaigner said:
“Whilst individuals claim they oppose wind farms developments on environmental grounds, climate change is already having far more of an environmental effect on wind farm sites than a group of wind turbines ever will, and this effect is getting stronger all the time.
“If we are to genuinely preserve our environment and our natural habitats, we must reduce our carbon dioxide emissions. Significantly expanding the amount of pollution-free renewable energy we generate from wind is an essential step in this strategy.”
The environmental campaign group said that wind farms should not be given the go-ahead if they risk damaging important wildlife sites or protected areas such as National Parks. However “wind farms actually offer one of the best ways of saving the very places that wind farm opponents often claim that they want to protect” he said.
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Notes to Editors
[1] Manchester Friends of the Earth is a prominent pressure group, raising awareness and lobbying for policy changes at a local, regional, national and international level. The group consists entirely of volunteers, and its campaigns are funded by membership fees and individual donations. Up-to-date information is available on their website: https://www.manchesterfoe.org.uk. Manchester Friends of the Earth is part of a national network of local groups, affiliated to the national organisation Friends of the Earth (further information can be found at http://www.foe.co.uk).
