A Commitment To Wind Energy
Concerns about our rapidly warming planet are on the rise. Climate advocates argue that heading off the worst effects of global warming will require cutting fossil fuel emissions, and the key will be a shift to renewable sources of electricity. In the Northeast, to no small measure this will mean wind power — and when one thinks about wind power on a scale large enough to make a difference, that means offshore turbines.
Some scientists now say cataclysmic climate shifts could come within decades, not centuries. But even small changes warrant serious action, given that the effects of sea level rise are already being seen as close as East Hampton’s own bays and ocean beaches. There is evidence that oceanic warming, changes in seawater acidity, and several other factors are already affecting fish and shellfish. Climate scientists believe that powerful storms will slam into our region more frequently as ocean temperatures increase.
The movement toward power generation off the New England and Long Island coasts does not come without opposition, notably from the commercial fishing industry. Fishermen are alarmed about the potential loss of important harvesting grounds, jobs, and even whole communities that could be hurt.
A test project on localized effects is already under way. Deepwater Wind, a private company, is installing five turbines southeast of Block Island, which could supply as much as 90 percent of that island’s power. Monitoring the construction and the operation of these turbines is expected to provide important information that could be useful as proposals for large projects south of Long Island are reviewed.
It might be easy to say that a balance should be found between the two interests, fishing and wind power, but some industry voices continue to say that ocean turbines are simply incompatible with fishing. As for federal officials, they have said the impacts of offshore projects like this are not yet well understood. Given the urgency of climate change, the time for finding balance, as opposed to aggressive action, may be ending.
If the United States is going to get serious about climate change, each section of the country will have to do its part. Reducing demand for electricity would help to some extent, but in reality we must move well beyond the 13 percent of needed electricity generation now provided by renewable sources. Our region’s greatest single asset in that regard is the consistent wind off our coast. To ignore the role it could play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions would be a terrible mistake.