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The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds are calling for a massive increase in the number of wind farms in the UK after a study found far more could be built without damaging wildlife.

It called for an end to the “needless delays” that beset wind farm projects, after a study said more turbines could be built without harming wildlife. It would be “disastrous” if the vast potential of wind power in the UK was wasted, the charity added.

Ministers said the planning process was being “streamlined” to encourage a mixture of on and offshore wind farms. In 2007, just 2% of the UK’s energy came from wind power, compared with 29% in Denmark, 20% in Spain and 15% in Germany.

Ruth Davis, head of climate change policy at the RSPB, said it was in favour of such an expansion because of the “truly terrifying” impact that global warming was increasingly having on birds. ”Left unchecked, climate change threatens many species with extinction,” she said. ”Yet that sense of urgency is not translating into actions on the ground to harness the abundant wind energy around us.”

The RSPB called on the government to set firm regional and local targets for developing wind energy, and give more guidance to councils on how to deal with planning applications. In order to protect wildlife, the RSPB argued, there must be a program of mapping to identify which areas should be earmarked for wind turbines and which should be avoided in order to protect habitats.

Source & Full article - BBCNews