Inside the communities fighting against renewable energy | Four Corners

Wind power is essential for Australia to meet its green energy targets — but we’re not even halfway there and the issue is becoming increasingly politicised.

A new climate battle is now raging, pitting nature conservation against wind farm construction. It’s fracturing communities and leading to old enemies forming new alliances against renewables. Misinformation about wind power is flourishing, and complex regulation is holding Australia back on its cheapest and quickest path to net zero.

Four Corners reporter Angus Grigg travels to Nundle, a small community in New South Wales where an ambitious proposal to build a wind farm is dividing residents.

In coal country he meets a climate change sceptic and environmentalist who are teaming up, and he investigates the next frontier for clean energy — giant wind turbines in the seas off Australia’s coastline.

00:00 - Renewables in Australia
02:40 - Almost one million dollars in rent
04:55 - Neighbours at war
12:36 - Hills of gold
19:12 - Deep in coal country
23:40 - A climate change debate
25:30 - Nuclear energy
31:10 - Giant offshore wind turbines
36:30 - Climate change skeptics
41:48 - Engineering for the future

This episode was originally broadcast as ‘Wind Wars’ on 10 June 2024 on ABC TV and ABC iview.

Four Corners is Australia’s premier investigations documentary series.

#4Corners #ABCNewsIndepth #ABCNewsAustralia

[drjones]

When someone standing on their land which has been 90% cleared of vegetation saying preserve our natural habitat it’s a bit hypocritical.

[jwtfpv]

Perhaps I'm old and cynical - all both sides are concerned about is 'what's in it for me'. Australia's future? That's our young people. Oh that's right... we priced them out of the conversation.

[qarey]

I don't think i spotted a single person under 40 in the whole program.

[davescott]

Bloody Nimbys, "yeh, you'll definitely be able to see them on that hill over there."

Yeh alright mate, so whats your point?
..

[Saf_Shares]

Denial, Doubt, Delay.
Same tactics, same player's, different game.😔😤🙄🤦🏾

[harryjones]

but they will still be demanding a 24hr 365 electricity supply for all amenities.

[davescott]

Cuts to shots of 'coal country'.

"Ob yeh, that looks much better then some wind turbines"

[EverydayImTECHnIt]

Why not put them on the Gold Coast right off the beach you get a lot of wind coming off the ocean

[raquetdude]

If an area has an issue building wind turbines the area has an issue building anything.
Be it renewable energy or non renewable energy infrastructure.

[victorkakule]

check out 10:00.... What does wind farms have to do with soil quality???

[robinsmith]

It's still amazes me. The audacity that some people have. They're "upset" about something that can benefit many. To save my view.

By the way, it's all "stolen" land. But let's not speak on that issue.

[LowFlung]

Would have liked to see more investigation and airtime of First Nations voices and younger peoples opinions in this report. Truly terrifying behaviour from individualistic people whose concerns are rooted in their own inconvenience. The irony is that the beautiful landscapes and unique wildlife a lot of these people weaponise will be gone if we don’t act now.

[andrewwebb]

We want renewable but not in my back yard

[caltha]

Everyone wants cheaper and readily available energy but no one wants the solution on their doorstep. This is not a difficult problem.

[jasondoust]

There is a lot of change happening, and it's happening in places that haven't changed in these peoples lifetime. So I can feel for them. To be ignorant of the facts is something I have a lot more trouble with but can understand to some degree given the education levels that different people can access. But to seed misinformation and disinformation is despicable.

[alexboehmke]

Cheap energy???? a million/year rent for that land holder.

[IbexThaGoat]

For me I have no problems with wind turbines etc. Just the problem is all this moved away from just pure science which it should be but became way too politicized. It's not good.

[HuiChyr]

I always thought developed countries are more mature and sensible. I guess humans are all the same everywhere.

[benjaminstone]

There's plenty of farmland, why do we have to destroy native forests? Place wind turbines on degraded exotic pasture, grazed by sheep cattle etc.

[twit_t]

Prime example of horseshoe theory at work here. Also, where are the young people and indigenous groups? Those are the ones that will be most impacted by chnaging climate. All you're doing is just speaking to a bunch of nimbys.