Wed, 08/01/2014
“Has Prime Minister Abbott got it wrong on wind farms and renewables?” questioned Greens MLC Robin Chapple, after the Government suggested there is a link between wind farms and illness by calling for the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) to conduct more research into the issue.
“In 2010, the NHMRC reviewed the literature and found that there is currently no published scientific evidence to positively link wind turbines with adverse health effects.
In 2012, an Independent Expert Panel in the US released a Wind Turbine Health Impact Study Report for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Public Health. The report found that literature on human response to wind turbines related to self-reporting of “annoyance”.
Negative health outcomes appear to be caused by people being stressed by incorrect information about wind turbines not from the actual wind turbines. There is no evidence to show that wind turbines cause health problems,” explained Mr Chapple.
“This is another cynical attack on renewable energy that will create more fear and anxiety in the community.
After trying to dismantle the carbon price, axe the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and attacking the Renewable Energy Target, it's no surprise that the anti-science Abbott Government has latched onto the discredited anti-wind campaign.
There is significant research to indicate that misinformation about wind farms can make people sick. Much like a placebo can lead to genuine health benefits, false claims that something is harmful can lead to real harms.
By commissioning further unnecessary research, the Abbott Government is simply sending a signal that there could be something to worry about. Every dollar the NHMRC spends on politically-motivated research is a dollar not spent on cancer or diabetes research.
If the Abbott Government is truly concerned with the health impacts of power generation, a Senate Inquiry found earlier this year that the mining, transportation and combustion of coal contribute to a poor health quality which has a greater impact than that of the road toll. I call upon the Prime Minister to get on with implementing those recommendations rather than pursuing his reckless and dangerous campaign against clean energy,” said Mr Chapple.
For more information please contact Robin Chapple on 0409 379 263 or 9486 8255
