Dr Patrick Moore: A Voice of Environmental Reason
ED: From my inbox
Dr Patrick Moore was a founding member of Greenpeace, back in the days when it was a grassroots movement genuinely focused on protecting the environment. Over time, however, Greenpeace was infiltrated by radical left-wing activists who pushed him out for refusing to toe their ideological line. Despite this, Moore remains a passionate environmentalist—grounded in science, reason, and realism.
His views on wind and solar energy are well worth listening to. Far from being the clean, green solutions they’re made out to be, these technologies come with significant environmental and economic costs. The Left’s relentless push for wind and solar, while ignoring the clear benefits of nuclear energy, exposes their real agenda: it’s not about saving the planet, but about undermining the foundations of Western civilisation by making energy prohibitively expensive and unreliable.
Just one example: the carbon emissions involved in mining, processing, and manufacturing the materials needed for so-called ‘green’ energy are staggering. A single wind turbine base requires up to 60,000 tons of concrete. Numerous studies show that the emissions involved in producing these systems are never offset by the electricity they generate over their typical 20-year lifespan. It’s an environmental and economic hoax on a massive scale.
Meanwhile, China is reportedly building more than 400 new coal-fired power stations—ensuring they have access to cheap, reliable energy to power their vast industrial sector. Where are the global protests outside Chinese embassies? Why the silence?
If the Left were truly serious about reducing emissions and preserving the planet, they would embrace nuclear power clean, safe, and vastly more reliable.
Regards,
John Taske
Ray
I have taken a keen interest in the wind farm industry and its development over time, and have written to govt ministers and others over the misinformation they have spewed out about the specifications, costs, etc. Facts are mostly overlooked as they try to convince the public on the benefits of whatever ideology they are pushing.
As a former senior manager for a major concrete supplier in Australia, I have witnessed various concrete supplies to the wind farm industry. In the early years a tower would require up to 300m3 of concrete in its base, now as towers and turbines have increased in size, they require double that amount and more. As a rule of thumb, 1m3 of concrete weighs approx 2.35 tons depending on the specific density of the raw materials involved in its manufacture.
John Taske has his numbers mixed up when he talks about 60,000 tons of concrete for a single wind tower. ie. approx 25,500 m3. I would suggest there may be that amount in a series of wind towers, but not one.
To put 25,500 m3 into perspective, a dual carriage concrete highway of say 11.5m wide with a design thickness of 370mm thick, you will cover a distance of 6km.
Keep up the good work
Tony
Tony