Forest protection or wind power? Thuringian initiative calls for a turn!

Forest protection or wind power? Thuringian initiative calls for a turn!

The Thuringian "Waldbürger initiative" has set itself the goal of protecting the endangered forests of the region, which suffer from both the consequences of climate change and the bark beetle. This initiative speaks decisively against the construction of wind turbines and lists numerous disadvantages of this energy system on your website, while some advantages are mentioned. The decline in natural diversity is particularly emphasized as a central argument against wind energy.

The spokesman for the initiative, Andreas Schuster, who works as a physiotherapist in Erfurt, regularly gives lectures in which he encourages the audience to check or refute his arguments independently. A striking argument is the alleged number of 1,200 tons of insects that are supposed to die annually on rotor blades in Germany. Franz Trieb from the DLR Institute for Technical Thermodynamics invalidates this claim. In his opinion, the available data does not lead to the fact that wind energy contributes significantly to the insect loss.

The insect loss in focus

The debate about insect loss becomes more complex due to inadequate data. Trieb indicates that there are no reliable statements about the proportion of the losses determined in its calculations on the overall environment of the insect loss. The entirety of the local insect populations remains unknown, as well as the precise figures for the various negative influences on them, which are caused by pesticides, intensive agriculture, climate change or urbanization.

Another aspect of the threat of insects in forests is the influence of climate change. A study of climate change -related new malicidal insects documents that certain larvae need winter periods with milder daily temperatures to develop. The caterpillars hibernate in nests, and in spring they wander from trees to pupate in the ground.

• The puppet rest can take a few months to four years.
• In summer the mating and egg laying takes place, followed by hatching about a month later.
• Some of these caterpillar species, such as the oak processionary spinner, can cause allergic reactions in humans.

global effects of climate change

climate change has far -reaching effects on biodiversity worldwide. A comprehensive study entitled "Wildlife in A Warming World" examines the consequences of climate change on almost 80,000 animal and plant species in 35 species-rich regions, including the Amazon rainforest and the Congo basin. The study describes three possible climate scenarios, whereby a temperature increase of four degrees Celsius could have dramatic consequences.

In the debate about the preservation of the Thuringian forests and the insect inventory, not only local oak essays are considered, but also the comprehensive global challenges through climate change. The WWF calls the Miombowälder in Africa and the Amazon rainforest as particularly affected regions that are endangered by climate change.