Like the Statue of Liberty, a wind turbine stands proud and tall, waving into our future. To many, it has become a symbol of health and hope. As the Guardian reports below, a survey conducted by ICM, a energy company in England, revealed that people would much prefer having a wind turbine near their home than living near a fracking well. Citizen willingness to live near a locally-sited solar farm was even higher. What this says about people's notion of wind and solar energy is clear: the public "gets" that renewable energy is healthier. It won't pollute neighborhoods, leak chemicals or devalue our properties. Who wants to face the potential of being exposed to carbon emissions or nuclear radiation when better options exist? Health leaders can be promoting this notion within their work. Find out how by joining Climate for Health today.
People Prefer Living Near Wind Turbines to Fracking Wells – Survey
Press Association I September 4, 2015
People would much rather have wind turbines near their house than fracking wells, a survey suggests.
Asked if they would prefer a wind turbine erected or a shale gas well drilled near their home, 65% of more than 2,000 people polled favoured the turbine, with just 14% backing the shale gas operation.
Despite recent moves by the Conservatives to curb onshore wind and other renewables while going “all out for shale”, Tory supporters were also more in favour of wind than shale, with 58% opting for a turbine and 23% for a well.
The polling by ICM for Co-operative Energy found solar was the most popular choice for electricity generation, with 30% saying it was their most preferred source, while just 2% most wanted to get their power from shale or fracked gas.
More than half (53%) of those quizzed were likely to support a wind turbine within two miles of their home, with just 19% likely to oppose such a development, while the backing for locally-sited solar farms was even higher.
Among Conservative supporters, backing for wind turbines or solar farms nearby was lower and opposition higher.
But more than two thirds of people (67%) and almost as many Tory supporters (62%) were in favour of renewables projects near their homes, including wind turbines, if they were controlled and owned by the community with local people benefiting from the profits.
