September 26, 2013
England

Bishop demands end to wind farms

Bishops demands end to wind farms | Press Association | 26 September 2013 | www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk

A bishop has spoken out against wind farms, claiming he has a Christian duty to protect the Northumberland countryside from “becoming marred and disfigured”.

Bishop of Newcastle the Rt Rev Martin Wharton said there was a danger of turbines turning parts of the area into “one industrial site after another”.

In a letter in The Journal newspaper, the bishop said that having spent time touring the region during the summer, he had been unable not to notice the growing number of wind farms.

He claims that he is yet to see any evidence that turbines will ever provide the reliable energy that is needed by society.

“It is a basic Christian truth that we all have a duty and a responsibility to care for and exercise wise steward ship over God’s creation, which has been entrusted to us,” he said.

“Our countryside needs to be pro tected and preserved for ourselves, for our children and for our grand children as a place of refreshment and renewal for the spiritual health and wellbeing of us all.

“The danger is that in parts of Northumberland, our landscape is becoming marred and disfigured and turned into one industrial site after another.”

The bishop concludes the letter by saying people in the North East enjoy a wonderful physical and spiritual heritage and warns the planning authority that it must take great care in approving any future applications.

He said: “Is now not the time to say ‘enough’ to any further blots on our land scape? Please remember above all that ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and all that fills it’ Psalm 24.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/09/26/bishops-demands-end-to-wind-farms/