New report refutes 33 false claims about photo voltaic, wind and electrical automobiles

Achieving formidable emissions discount objectives within the United States relies upon largely on the speedy adoption of wind and photo voltaic vitality and the electrification of shopper automobiles. However, misinformation and coordinated disinformation about renewable vitality is widespread and threatens to undermine public assist for the transition.

In a brand new report, the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, an affiliate of the Columbia Climate School, identifies and examines 33 of probably the most widespread false claims about photo voltaic vitality, wind energy and de -electric automobiles, with the goal of selling a extra knowledgeable dialogue. .

Many of those false claims heart on three classes of impacts generally attributed to renewable vitality growth: environmental impacts, human well being impacts, and financial impacts. For instance, our report examines the frequent false impression that electrical automobiles have a internet dangerous impact on local weather change (they do not); that electromagnetic radiation from wind generators poses a risk to human well being (it doesn’t); and that photo voltaic vitality growth will negatively affect US jobs (it will not).

Some of the misconceptions the report examines, reminiscent of the concept whale deaths stem from noise related to wind farm surveys, are fully unfounded. Some have some factual foundation however are sometimes repeated with out the mandatory context: for instance, the concept photo voltaic panels produce important waste, with out the context that fossil gas vitality produces extra.

To determine the commonest false claims about wind, photo voltaic and electrical automobiles, the authors of a brand new Sabin Center report first surveyed social-media teams and web sites. made to oppose renewable vitality initiatives or insurance policies, in addition to current protection of misinformation.

The authors then develop clear, fact-based responses to those false claims, relying as a lot as potential on peer-reviewed educational literature and authorities publications. The authors designed the report in order that members of the general public can develop balanced and knowledgeable opinions on the usually contested matters associated to renewable vitality and electrical automobile deployment.

The Sabin Center report must be learn together with different truth checks and research that debunk false claims about renewable vitality and electrical automobiles, reminiscent of these revealed by the EPA, RMI, US Today, Carbon Brief, the Center for American Progress , the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s web site FactCheck.org, the Brown Climate and Development Lab and Heated.

This story is republished courtesy of the Earth Institute, Columbia University http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu.