“Save the whales”: disinformation mixes with anti-wind in the United States

Under the guise of protecting whales, the anti-wind movement is becoming increasingly vocal in the United States, trying to block sustainable energy projects expanding on the East Coast.

By placing the animal cause at the heart of their campaigns, opponents of these new energy projects are reaching a wide audience because cetacean strandings attract many curious people to Atlantic beaches, from Maine to New Jersey.

“During a rescue mission, I am almost immediately asked if it is because of the wind turbines,” Lauren Brandkamp, ​​team leader of the nonprofit organization Whale and Dolphin Conservation in Massachusetts, told AFP.

Many anti-wind groups on Facebook are now highlighting photos of marine mammals washed up on beaches. Opponents call for “preserving the East Coast” or “saving the whales” and have launched lawsuits against coastal projects in some states.

In recent years, rising strandings of endangered species, such as the North Atlantic right whale, have only added fuel to their fire.

At the same time, the Biden administration has accelerated the energy transition, approving 10 new commercial offshore wind projects since 2021 in an effort to increase renewable energy production.

Three wind farms are currently operating in the United States, and three more are under construction.

However, there is no scientific evidence linking whale deaths to these projects, and studies instead blame ship collisions or infectious diseases.

– “Misplaced” warning –

In this photo taken and released by the NGO Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), WDC team leader Lauren Brandkamp examines a dead minke whale in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on September 23, 2024 © Whale and Dolphin Conservation – Handout

“I'm glad to see all this attention paid to protecting whales, but it's a little misplaced,” says Lauren Brandkamp.

She points out that during rescue missions, people are often receptive to her association's educational messages on biodiversity and animal protection.

But on social media, the tone is quite different: “more hostile, more skeptical,” she said.

The anti-wind movement and conspiracy groups on social media claim that the noise generated during the development of an offshore platform affects the sonars of whales and disorients them, sometimes to the point of death.

Scientific teams whose work focuses on offshore wind activities and their possible interference with marine life have not, however, detected any suspicious deaths.

– Ecosystems under pressure –

Scientist Douglas Nowacek, who is part of a US government project researching the potential impacts of wind turbines on marine animals, explains to AFP that he frequently observes whales swimming near wind farm surveys and has never yet observed any “change in behavior” or distress signals in these whales. mammals.

“We have no scientific evidence that offshore wind turbines are responsible for animal deaths,” he adds, “and nothing that would come close to the mortality rates associated with oil activities,” he points out, noting that offshore oil and gas exploration requires technology that is nearly 10,000 times noisier than wind power.

In this photo taken and released by the NGO Save Coastal Wildlife, the organization's director Jenna Reynolds points out to her team a group of seals swimming in Sandy Hook Bay, New Jersey, on January 1, 2024 © Save Coastal Wildlife – Handout

In New Jersey, a stronghold of the anti-wind movement, the director of the animal protection association Save Coastal Wildlife, Jenna Reynolds, says she is “neither for nor against” these new energy projects.

She notes, however, the lack of evidence to support the arguments put forward by the conspiracy theorists and stresses that she has not heard any criticism from Europe, where offshore wind is nothing new.

Ms. Reynolds has seen her coastal region change radically in recent decades, with increased ship traffic and large marine mammals coming dangerously close to the beaches.

Like Lauren Brandkamp, ​​she points to ecosystem changes and warmer waters, which encourage some species like whales to swim further north, making interactions with ships in port areas like New York or Boston very complex.

“We're now seeing manatees migrating all the way here from Florida,” says Jenna Reynolds, “very concerned about the huge impact of global warming on marine life.”

“I know wind power will have an impact. Nothing is perfect,” she says. “But I prefer a wind farm to an oil well in our oceans.”

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