Wind Farms Are Unsafe, and the Moon Landing Was Faked

In terms of installed wind power capacity, Germany comes in third place globally. Wind energy accounted for about a quarter of the nation's energy in 2020, and the government has promised to double that amount by 2030 by dedicating 2% of Germany's territory to wind turbines. If we want to try to ameliorate some of the worst effects of the climate change we've started, switching from fossil fuels to cleaner energy sources like the wind is crucial. However, this transfer is incredibly challenging for a variety of reasons. It may be useful to learn how this switch functions in early adopters of wind power, such as Germany, to guide how the rest of us decarbonize. In general, people are enthusiastic about wind power in theory, but when wind farms have to be developed in actual towns, a significant NIMBY (not in my backyard) element enters the picture. German researchers questioned precisely what caused individuals to vote against nearby wind projects. They discovered that a propensity for conspiratorial thinking contributed to the explanation of much of the opposition.

Behind it all, lies a strong wind!

The new study began by examining whether there was any correlation between opposition to wind energy and a "conspiracy mentality," which they defined as "the idea that it is commonplace for groups of elites with bad intentions"—the Elders of Zion or whoever—"to conduct elaborate hoaxes on the public and to do so in close-to-perfect secrecy." It turned out that the researchers had it right. In a survey of 2,055 German individuals, it was discovered that having a conspiracy theory and being unlikely to vote in favor of wind turbines in your neighborhood are strongly correlated. This association was true whether the wind farm's proponents or opponents sponsored the referendum on whether to erect the turbines. Furthermore, a conspiracy mentality was by far the strongest predictor of voting against a wind farm in another survey of 2,155 other German citizens, far more so than age, gender, education level, or political right-wingness.

The good news

The good news is that voters were more likely to vote for wind farms after hearing that they can lower carbon emissions, provide a more reliable electricity source, and even benefit the town financially. Regardless of whether the information originated from business or the government, it was effective, and it was most successful in people who had the most conspiratorial tendencies. That comes as a surprise because this line of reasoning is frequently associated with the idea that climate change is a hoax. So it wouldn't always follow that mentioning the benefits of addressing climate change to someone who is prone to conspiracies. If respondents were exposed to both pro- and contra-arguments, as they would be in real life, the effects were slightly mitigated. But some people's opinions even shifted after seeing both perspectives. Therefore, human nature continues to obstruct development in a variety of ways, making it the main obstacle to stopping, battling, and mitigating climate change. It is not only that we are all too lazy and uncreative to stop engaging in destructive, consumptive activity because it is profitable or just because it is too easy and convenient to do so. We will also have to deal with people who continue to deny the reality of the situation if we hope to achieve any positive changes. They believed that hostility to wind farms might be associated with a conspiracy mentality for a number of reasons. First of all, they point out that wind turbines have long been the subject of covert conspiracy theories that have spread false information claiming that wind farms are to blame for cancer and congenital deformities (pretty basic conspiracy theory fare, really). And secondly, while persons with a conspiracy worldview frequently distrust authority and like thinking of themselves as holding beliefs that are out of step with the majority of society, wind farms are frequently promoted by local governments.