When it comes to renewable energy, I’m a big fan. But implementing a workable, and efficient system is no breeze. I’m running against the wind when I say turbines are harmful, but I’m not blowing smoke when I say that there are environmental dangers. We just have to keep in mind, that you can’t just throw caution to the wind.
Anyways, wind is the solution to all of our problems; those majestic turbines that dress our hillsides that produce electricity by harnessing the power of something as pure as the wind. We have come to know wind as a clean solution to fossil fuel energy, but how accurate is it? Carbon dioxide emissions are the specter that looms over the production of all electricity. With all of us thinking about our carbon footprint, it is easy to turn to a solution like giant fans making our lights turn on. But is it clean?
On April 6, 2015, ABC news ran a story about a toxic lake in Inner Mongolia, China. This lake, 5.5 miles in diameter is made up entirely of black sludge. This toxic concoction is the byproduct of rare earth mining. Rare earth minerals have one of their highest concentrations in this region, and the mining for these minerals has never been more lucrative. There has been a recent boom in the mining for these rare earth minerals, causing the drainage hoses to pump more and more of this toxic sludge into the water table. This recent boom is the production of wind turbines.
From miles away, wind turbines look like nothing more than big fans that spin at slow speeds. But when you look under the hood into the housing behind the router, you’ll find a magnet. This magnet is the catalyst for electricity production and it is made from a mineral called neodymium, a rare earth mineral that is mined in Inner Mongolia. “But magnets are everywhere . . .” you may say. And you would be correct. However, with the recent push for wind farming, turbines have become one of the largest uses for these magnets in the world. According to the Bulletin of Atomic Sciences, a 2 megawatt wind turbine contains about 800 pounds of neodymium. By the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security’s count, the United States added a record of 13,131 megawatts of generating capacity in 2012, putting the neodymium count up to 6.1 million pounds. Mining one ton of this rare earth mineral produces about one ton of hazardous, toxic waste.
For those unfortunate enough to live close enough to this 5.5 mile wide lake, the outlook is bleak. The rates of cancer, osteoporosis, skin and respiratory diseases are abnormally high for the region. Residents recall losing hair at abnormally young ages, their teeth beginning to fall out. The lake’s radiation levels are ten times higher than the countryside surrounding it. Ironically, America’s nuclear industry only produces between 4.4 and 5 million pounds of spent nuclear fuel each year. Nuclear energy has fallen to disfavor because of its potential for cataclysmic disasters. With wind energy, are we systematically endorsing another?