I live in Devon. Renewable energy is a controversial topic around here. On one hand we have loads of coast line in the South West and large areas with very few people living in them. I’ve found one example of a campaign group, Campaign To Protect Rural England, Devon. It is supportive of the odd wind turbine that supports one farm, but on a very small scale which will affect no one but the land owner. It is against any large scale wind farm, solar farm etc. I can understand that Devon is a beautiful are and it is this fact that draws an international crowd of visitors every year. The unspoiled landscape and views this county offers is the very thing that so many residents earn their living from. In another article from a local newspaper, the Western Morning News, they do talk about how renewable energy projects create jobs, unemployment being a big issue in rural areas.
I can understand the CPRE objection to projects. I agree that we can’t go putting big wind farms everywhere, for reasons that they mention, and I have put above. But, surely if we don’t do something to slow down climate change, Devon is going to be a very different place anyway. If we really want to protect rural England, surely we have to try with every effort to mitigate the effects of climate change?
See also their publication: Renewable Energy in the Countryside: Rewards and Risks
Photos by me of pretty South Devon coastal areas.
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