I started having concerns about wind farms when I realised I didn’t know much about them.

Turning endless free wind into cheap reliable energy seemed a smart modern idea, something that most Australians would eventually embrace. After 10 years of political bickering and world-beating inaction, we were finally on the front foot, heading in the same direction with a plan and some purpose. Australia, which had long ago officially accepted the science, was actually doing something about climate change.

But then I heard they want to plonk hundreds of the buggers off the coast and that each turbine might be much taller than the Harbour Bridge and suddenly wind farms became very real. I did some research and reluctantly discovered that the most efficient places for wind towers aren’t our empty interiors or cleared farmland, as I had naively assumed. As any surfer should know the biggest and most consistent winds blow along our coastlines. And the most efficient wind energy lies directly off six designated priority areas including the popular surf towns of Wollongong and Newcastle.   

I jumped online and found lots of localised anger and confusion from all kinds of people. There was real concern about potential harm to whales and other marine life but not much evidence for its likelihood. On public chats, I found some people were furious purely because they rely on social media, pseudo-science, and terrifying conspiracy theories to understand the world. But there was also reality-based concern from ocean-lovers who believe in tackling climate change. And a lot of genuinely aggrieved people who feel they haven’t been properly consulted or their concerns adequately addressed. Even Greens founder, Bob Brown, argues that poorly situated wind farms can do more harm to the environment than they mitigate.