Dr. Rafael Sardá, from the Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC) and eight more scientists from the CSIC, the University of Girona and the University of Barcelona, sign a manifesto claiming that public administrations do not process permits for the construction of offshore wind farms until their possible environmental impacts have been thoroughly studied.
They pay special attention to the specific case of the Tramuntana wind farm project, in Cap de Creus, where large-scale ecosystem damage, they warn, «could be more severe than what is superficially exposed in the initial project document presented by companies». They also underline that the landscape impact that it may have on Cap de Creus and the Gulf of Roses, as well as the risk posed by the increasing meteorological phenomena linked to climate change, «which can damage facilities and entail dangers to the natural environment in a long term».
The manifest recognizes the benefits that offshore wind farms can have in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but warns that the risks of implementing them in a sea like the Mediterranean, «ecologically fragile, diverse and subject to multiple human pressures». Therefore, they find it necessary to study these risks before granting any permission.
In this document they ask for a broad participation of the scientific community in the evaluation of the environmental impact of these facilities; that there is good strategic planning in each territory, at local, national and European level, where «environmental, economic and social criteria are taken into account»; that transparency is «a key factor» when making decisions; that the installation of wind farms next to protected areas is not allowed; and, finally, that the installation of any offshore wind farm is not processed until the energy planning they defend has been studied and approved.
In the following link you can read the manifest:
