"Down with big wind!"
It is generally not wise to trust surfers on matters of importance. Other than Kelly Slater, who knows more than most doctors and also has a Chinese girlfriend, surfers are generally not well-read nor particularly discerning. Used to passing disinformation onto fellow surfers under the guise of hiding “secret spots.” Fairly vacant.
And Australian surfers, let’s be honest, a touch dumber than all others save American surfers, Brazilian surfers, French surfers, and definitely South African surfers. Portuguese surfers and Chilean surfers too. Canadian surfers. Etc.
Well, as it turns out the aforementioned Australian surfers are caught up spewing alleged lies over a planned wind farm that is to be built off the New South Welsh coast. While ecologists hail the proposal as exceedingly green, the surfers have joined with fishermen, tourism operators and politicians to oppose the business over citing “whale death” as the major concern.
Signs featuring beached whales in foreground, wind turbine in background now ubiquitous around the region.
Australian Surfers Push “Wind Kills Whales” Agenda
Though, apparently, the science does not support mass whale die-off due “Puff Power.”
Quentin Hanich, the editor-in-chief of the academic journal Marine Policy and professorial fellow at the University of Wollongong, has, according to The Guardian, “spent this week debunking a fake article shared on social media that purported to be from his publication which claimed offshore wind projects in the Illawarra and Hunter would kill 400 whales a year.”
“There’s been a whole bunch of continuing dialogue that suggests that windfarms kill whales without any actual evidence to demonstrate that that’s the case,” Hanich declared.
Australian surfers, apparently, don’t care and have planned paddle-outs to call attention to all the whales probably dying.
A very powerful tool though maybe they should have considered a billboard?
Something extra funny, cheap and character-revealing?
Whatever the case, those in favor of the turbines declare that surfers are in the pockets of “Big Mine” and are stupid.
Are they?
Do you have a position vis a vis wind?
Let’s hear it!