Doctoral Scholarly Seminar via Zoom - Joshua Fergen

Joshua Fergen, Ph.D. Candidate, will present a Doctoral Scholarly Seminar, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: A Dive into the Geographic and Social Gap between Wind Energy Support and Local Opposition on March 27, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. Join the seminar via Zoom (Meeting ID: 998-795-870).

Why are wind energy proposals frequently met with staunch local opposition, despite such broad public support?  Moving beyond NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) arguments, I will discuss the main reasons why local communities oppose local wind farms by discussing elements of ownership, democratic deficits in siting, landscape transformations, unintended ecological impacts, and emerging issues with long-term operation and decommissioning.  Understanding these impacts is necessary in order to promote a transition to renewable energy production and alleviate the negative externalities of wind energy development that are most often felt at sites of extraction.