Rich white people are overwhelmingly blocking wind farms

[Think. Again.]

Michelle Lewis | Sep 26 2023 - 2:49 pm PT
Full Article: https://electrek.co/2023/09/26/rich-white-people-are-overwhelmingly-blocking-wind-farms/

The NIMBYs blocking the deployment of wind farms are overwhelmingly rich and white in the US and Canada, according to a new study.

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The study, “Prevalence and predictors of wind energy opposition in North America,” is newly published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by researchers from UC Santa Barbara, the University of Michigan, and Gallup.

Study here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2302313120

In the US, opposition was concentrated in the Northeast in areas with a higher proportion of white residents and a lower proportion of Hispanic residents. In addition, the names of the people who opposed wind projects were overwhelmingly likely (92.4%) to be white.

In Canada, opposition was concentrated in Ontario and in wealthy communities. In both countries, larger projects were more likely to face opposition than smaller projects. The number of people engaging in opposition was small at a given project: the median number of protesters was 23 in the US and 34 in Canada.


Spatial distribution of wind energy projects and opposition in the United States of America and Canada. Projects that experienced opposition are shown in red. Darker shades indicate a larger concentration of plants in that specific area. Source: PNAS study

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The researchers termed this “energy privilege,” which they describe in the abstract as “wherein the delay and cancellation of clean energy in wealthier, whiter communities leads to continued pollution in poorer communities, and communities of color.”

Leah Stokes, lead author and associate professor of environmental politics at UC Santa Barbara, said:

Fossil fuel plants are predominantly located in poorer communities and communities of color. These plants create pollution. We need to replace fossil fuel power plants with clean energy, like wind and solar.

When wealthier, whiter communities oppose wind energy projects in their backyards, they extend the lifetime of fossil fuel projects. This is an injustice.

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Full Article: https://electrek.co/2023/09/26/rich-white-people-are-overwhelmingly-blocking-wind-farms/

Study here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2302313120