Carter, J. The Land. Wind Farms – Another Con?

Wind farms – another con?

THE LAND Newspaper
John Carter
28 Jun, 2015

TONY Abbott’s attack on the ugliness of wind farms, and their effects on the health of some who live near them, marks the first time the Prime Minister and I have been in agreement.

Abbott spoke against wind farms from personal experience after cycling on Rottnest Island.

His comments followed representations by independent Senators John Madigan, Nick Xenophon, Jacqui Lambi and David Leyonhjelm.

They have many stories of people living in a hell caused by the low frequency noise emissions from wind farms.

Abbott’s comments triggered a barrage of letters from city folk living far from wind farms – hypocrites en masse. They wouldn’t tolerate wind farms in national parks or on the windy cliffs of Sydney’s coastline.

One University of Sydney professor, with no medical qualification, has been vocal in his denial of any effects on health caused by wind turbines.

He claimed they are only suffered by jealous, unpaid neighbours.

However, South Australian grazier Clive Gare, with 19 turbines on his property giving a million dollar income across five years, told the Senate inquiry the noise has been unbearable.

He was initially excited about hosting renewable energy, but now believed “towers should not be any closer than 5 kilometres to a dwelling”.

“If we had to buy another property it would not be within a 20km of a wind farm,” he said.

Wind farm company AGL has paid thousands to insulate the Gare property from the noise but hasn’t succeeded.

Another professor from Sydney University, with a medical qualification, associate professor of neuroscience Simon Carlile, urges a proper examination of the effects of low frequency sound waves, and recognition that, like seasickness, they effect some but not all.

For 30 years there has been evidence of a causal link between impulsive infrasound and low frequency noise, and adverse effects on people.

Research by NASA established wind turbines could generate surprisingly high levels of infrasound and low frequency noise.

See the original article in The Land: http://www.theland.com.au/news/agriculture/general/opinion/wind-farms-another-con/2736015.aspx?storypage=0

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