Activists from the green movement and conservation groups engage in a dispute concerning wind energy projects
In a joint position, the German Greens and the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) have agreed to promote the expansion of onshore wind energy to meet climate goals while setting strict environmental criteria to protect local wildlife habitats and biodiversity.
The collaboration aims to ensure careful site selection to avoid ecologically sensitive areas, implementing mandatory species impact assessments, defining minimum distances from protected areas and habitats, applying operational restrictions during key breeding or migration periods, and promoting technological and ecological innovations to mitigate impacts on birds and bats.
Moreover, the joint position calls for permits to be issued more quickly, and minor procedural errors to be able to be corrected retroactively. Priority or suitability areas covering about 2% of each state's land area have been designated for wind energy, with wind turbine construction outside these areas excluded. Areas with a particularly high number of "wind energy-sensitive bird species" should become exclusion zones.
To incentivise the implementation of this plan, states that exceed their wind energy targets should be rewarded, while those that do not reach them should be penalised. Both species extinction and climate change need to be combated, according to NABU President Krüger and Green Party leader Habeck.
However, it is worth noting that lawsuits from environmentalists and citizen initiatives have blocked wind projects in many places, including those involving NABU. To streamline the process, new, uniform standards for a "significantly higher mortality risk" have been proposed to make it easier for authorities to do their work.
For detailed official documents or statements reflecting the current approach between the German Greens and NABU on this topic, one may refer to their respective official websites or press releases.
- The German Greens and NABU are collaborating to promote renewable energy, specifically onshore wind energy, within the realm of environmental-science, while adhering to strict criteria to protect local wildlife habitats and biodiversity.
- The joint position involves careful site selection to avoid ecologically sensitive areas, mandatory species impact assessments, minimum distances from protected areas and habitats, operational restrictions during key breeding or migration periods, and promoting technological and ecological innovations to minimize impacts on birds and bats.
- The plan also includes expediting permit issuance and allowing for retroactive correction of minor procedural errors, while priority or suitability areas (about 2% of each state's land area) have been designated for wind energy development, with construction outside these areas prohibited.
- To incentivize this plan, states that exceed their wind energy targets will be rewarded, and those that fail to reach them will be penalized, as both species extinction and climate-change are considered crucial issues by NABU President Krüger and Green Party leader Habeck.
- Despite the progress in policy-and-legislation, lawsuits from environmentalists and citizen initiatives have hindered wind projects in various locations, including those involving NABU. New, uniform standards for a "significantly higher mortality risk" have been proposed to make it easier for authorities to streamline the process.
