At a spirited committee hearing in London yesterday, farmers came in force to show their support for the Green Energy Act. Local farmers and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture praised the environmental benefits of biogas, among other renewable energy technologies included in the Green Energy Act, that will benefit agricultural producers.
While farmers are ready to incorporate renewable energy technologies into their operations, there were several members of Wind Concerns Ontario at the meeting who were not as supportive of the legislation. While I can't address all of their concerns here, there are some key ones that need straightening out in the hopes that we can find common ground on the solutions.
Greenhouse gas emissions in Europe
Claims have been made that renewable energy generation in Germany (and other jurisdictions in Europe) is not reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This is untrue. First, common sense dictates that more renewable energy power on the grid directly reduces the total carbon emissions of electricity generation. In Germany, overall emissions were down 2.3% over the previous year and the country is committed to a 21% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012. In Denmark, renewable energy has helped reduce CO2 emissions 31 % from 1990 to 2007 and emissions from coal plants were down 41% over that same time. Renewable energy will in fact achieve real reductions in our contributions to climate change.
Renewable energy and health concerns
So far, health concerns relating to renewable energy have been limited to a single technology, wind. Public health should always be a top priority of every government. Noise, and other measurable health and nuisance concerns, must be considered in the process of siting all renewable energy technologies. However, recommending an arbitrary 2km setback, as Wind Concerns Ontario suggests, is not a sound methodology for determining setbacks. Instead, we should agree on a measurable standard for noise and other related concerns that are consistent with international best management practices. If we ensure these standards are consistently measured and enforced, we can protect the public health of all Ontarians, gain energy independence and protect the natural environment.
Renewable energy threatens the natural environment
The notion that Environmental Defence, the David Suzuki Foundation and WWF-Canada (and indeed a majority of national and local environmental organizations) would do anything that could have a net-harmful effect to the environment is ludicrous . These are the groups that are on the front lines of protecting ecosystems and species, not to mention public health. These are the not-for-profit groups dedicating their resources to protecting and restoring natural systems: wetlands, species at risk, birds and your health. We support the Green Energy Act because it will protect these things.
Mike Layton
Mike Layton is a program manager at Environmental Defence, a proud member of the Green Energy Act Alliance
Labels: biogas, carbon dioxide, CO2, farmers
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