Debunking false claims about solar, wind, and electric vehicles
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Offshore wind development is killing whales. Wind turbines cause cancer. Electric vehicles are worse for climate change than gas cars. These are all common and somewhat shocking claims – but none of these are true.
That’s the conclusion of a new report from Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center called “Rebutting 33 False Claims About Solar, Wind, and Electric Vehicles.”
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The report sets the record straight on misinformation – and coordinated disinformation – about renewable energy which is widespread and threatens to undermine public support for the transition.
For example, a recent Monmouth University poll of New Jersey residents found that false claims that offshore wind is harming whales significantly reduced support for offshore wind turbines in the state.
In 2019, 75% of New Jersey residents supported offshore wind development. But in 2023 that number dropped more than 20 points to 54%. To be clear, the decline is not solely due to the perception that offshore wind activity is hurting whales, but that’s a big part of it.
So in today’s Climate Classroom, we are talking to the lead author of the report, Matthew Eisenson, Senior Fellow of the Renewable Energy Legal Defense Initiative, to discuss these misleading claims and many more.
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