UK public are being asked to log on as campaigners fight for clean energy
Green groups have launched a website that calls on people to join the campaign to increase the amount of energy supplied by wind power in the UK. The groups are so concerned by misinformation about wind power which is circulating on the internet that they have joined forces to launch www.yes2wind.com Environmentalists say the technology can boost jobs and tourism while fighting climate change - the world's biggest environmental problem.Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and WWF-UK - are determined to counter internet propaganda which has spread scare stories about planned wind farm developments. The green groups are keen to promote the new site in rural areas where a vocal minority has been opposing the development of clean, green energy generation. Opinion polls show the vast majority of people support the building of wind farms [1], but anti-wind websites and leaflets have responded with biased and unreliable information.
The new site shows how wind farms are a key part of the UK's efforts to tackle climate change, and can increase investment, create jobs and attract tourists, as well as reducing air pollution. This technology has the potential to greatly reduce the UK's dependence on fossil fuels like coal and gas.
www.yes2wind.com is offering prizes to people who send them the most outrageous myths put out by anti-wind groups, for example some anti-green campaigners have made unfounded claims that wind turbines can spark epileptic fits and cause grass fires. [2]
The new site aims to build a nationwide network of pro-wind campaigners. Oxfordshire farmer, Adam Twine offers advice on how to get a pro-wind campaign off the ground, while an electronic noticeboard lets activists in rural areas share tactics and discuss issues. Posters and leaflets can be downloaded and experts contacted for advice.
Emily Armistead of Greenpeace said: "Europe's current extreme weather shows that climate change is already with us. Wind power is an urgently needed, clean solution to global warming, but anti-wind campaigns will result in new nuclear power stations being built instead. We need people to support wind power in their area now. www.yes2wind.com offers lots of easy ways to do this."
For more info contact the Greenpeace press office on 0207 865 8255.
[1] For example, a recent poll commissioned by British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) found that a massive 74% of electricity bill payers were in favour of the Government's ambition to generate 20% of the UK's electricity from renewable power sources by 2020.
[2] These claims can be found on the website of "Say No to Scoutmoor"http://www.scoutmoor.com/ .More information about groups opposing wind farms can be found at www.countryguardian.net
