Wildlife

Clean, renewable wind energy also displaces harmful emissions from fossil fuel power plants and offsets carbon emissions, making it a safer generation option for people, wildlife, and natural ecosystems.

Well-sited wind projects protect birds and wildlife by avoiding pollutants. Audubon supports responsible wind power, minimizing harm to wildlife. Apex conducts environmental studies and collaborates for responsible project siting. In 2012, groups urged Congress to support renewable projects. Modern wind farms, despite bird collisions, have a minimal impact, representing only 0.0003% of human-related bird deaths.

Just as deer adapt to the construction of new homes and buildings and other new sights and sounds near their habitats, the deer population also becomes accustomed to wind farms. It is not uncommon to find deer and other wildlife feeding or resting near the bases of turbines. Cattle, horses, goats, and other livestock are also 100% compatible with wind energy technology.

In 2012, wind energy offset 87,000 metric tons of SO2 and 61,000 metric tons of NOx, dangerous particulate air pollutants that are associated with conventional electric generation.* In addition, wind turbines installed in the United States through 2012 will displace nearly 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.* That’s the equivalent of removing over 17 million cars from the road. This carbon savings helps birds and wildlife by minimizing the worst impacts of climate change, which according to scientists could threaten between one-quarter and one-half of all bird species.

* American Wind Energy Association