“Saying ‘yes’ to wind power is a choice to preserve the Cape and
promote safer, cleaner energy choices,” said Greenpeace Campaigner
Chelsea Harris. “By supporting the most significant renewable energy
project in New England, we can prevent additional oil spills and reduce
local air pollution which will improve the quality of life for
residents and tourists alike,” Harris said.
The patrol visited beaches on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard over the
Labor Day weekend to highlight the benefits of the proposed offshore
wind project. The wind farm will provide 75 percent of the area’s
energy needs without spewing asthma-causing pollution or adding to the
growing threat of global warming.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that global warming
impacts to the coast of Massachusetts alone may cost between $490
million and $2.6 billion to repair. This estimate reflects the
cumulative cost of sand replenishment to protect the coast from an
expected 20-inch seal level rise by 2100. Global warming impacts also
disrupt marine ecosystems, affecting the breeding and food sources of
marine animals and significantly increase the growth of “red tides”
that are linked with the deaths of marine mammals and fish species. For
over thirty years, Greenpeace has campaigned to protect the world's
oceans. The wind farm offers a solution to some of the most challenging
problems impacting oceans as a result of global warming.
In coming weeks, Greenpeace’s ship, the
Arctic Sunrise,
will make its way to the East Coast of the United States where
Greenpeace will be promoting solutions to global warming including
proposed wind farms in Cape Cod and Long Island. Greenpeace’s visit to
Cape Cod, Massachusetts is part of
Project Thin Ice - Going the Distance to Stop Global Warming. Ship stops include Boston, Hyannis, Provincetown, Nantucket, Woods Hole, New York, Long Island and Miami.
Photos available at:
http://usaphoto.greenpeace.org/capewind/beachaction/
