The blanket bog can’t vote – but we can

Green__JennyJune 8, 2024June 24, 2024Campaign Actions

Vote to ban windfarms on protected peatland!

Peatland’s protected BY LAW for good reasons: it’s vital for the climate, nature, water quality and mitigation of flood risk. But wind farm developers are testing the law with their proposal for a huge wind farm on protected peat bog in the S. Pennine Moors Site of Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area.

We hold the power to stand up for the irreplaceable peat bog, and make sure peatland is protected from damage and potential destruction from windfarms. The IUCN UK Peatland Strategy 2018-2040 advocates (p15) that “policies for…renewables identify safeguards for peatlands.” Please vote for an MP candidate who signs this pledge to help make that happen!

Please take a few minutes to

EMAIL YOUR MP CANDIDATES THE LINK TO THE PLEDGE to ban wind farms on protected peatland
Ask them to sign it
Briefly tell them why it matters to you

(You can find local constituencies’ MP Candidates’ email addresses after the pledge, below.)

General Election 4th July 2024 – MP Candidates’ Pledge

No wind farms on protected peatland

If elected as MP, I pledge to support urgent new legislation to amend onshore wind planning regulations, in order to ban wind farms on protected peat land in England. If necessary I will help to introduce this legislation as a Private Members’ Bill.

Recently introduced onshore wind planning regulations now permit applications for wind farms in England. We need more onshore wind to help generate green electricity. But the unintended consequence of wind farms on protected peat land would be to worsen the nature and climate crisis.

A huge wind farm is proposed in the South Pennine Moors Site of Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area. The developers have announced it is a “test case” for the new planning regulations for onshore wind. Walshaw Moor – the proposed site of the wind farm – is mainly blanket bog: a carbon sink that supports peat-forming plants, red-listed birds and other wildlife. Building the wind farm here could destroy the highly protected, conservation priority blanket bog. At the least, it would dry out the peat – emitting its huge quantity of carbon to the atmosphere. As the Grid gets greener, the wind farm’s carbon savings from displacing gas-generated electricity wouldn’t make up for this: soon most windfarms on peat won’t reduce carbon emissions. There are plenty of appropriate alternative wind farm sites on non-peatland sites, where wind-generated electricity would be greener.