Against the wind

In rural areas it is increasingly common to see, dotted across the landscape, giant metal poles with three hypnotically rotating blades. To some people, wind turbines are visually appealing; to others they are ugly. For a third group, they are a means to an end when it comes to producing large quantities of renewable energy.

For a long time, wind-power generation capacity has been growing exponentially in Australia, New Zealand and many other countries. Renewables are becoming cheaper as the technology evolves and their economy of scale further improves; they have already undercut fossil fuels in many countries. The number of wind turbines worldwide now exceeds 200,000.

Attitudes to wind power are broadly positive, with 85 per cent of people surveyed in New South Wales being very supportive. In New Zealand, 77 per cent were found to be favourable. Yet despite these majority sentiments there has been a pushback against wind from certain think tanks, politicians and members of the public.

When resistance to Australia’s wind-farm plans peaked in the early 2010s, two entities spearheaded anti-wind activism. One was known as the Waubra Foundation while the other was a network of Landscape Guardians groups. Both have links, either direct