Column on Cutting Trees for Solar in Vermont

[Judith D. Schwartz]

That industrial solar project was approved, but many of us remain determined to save that forest. I’d written about this before, in Mongabay https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/cutting-forests-for-solar-energy-misses-the-plot-on-climate-action-commentary/. 

A few things have changed in the year-and-a-half since, and which I try to address:

—The vulnerability of trees in the Northeast due to stressors like Emerald Ash Borer, Beech Leaf Disease, and now Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

—The high energy needs of AI/AI infrastructure which alters the dynamics of regional grids

—Greater understanding of the role of healthy forests in climate regulation and moisture transfer (thanks to Anastassia and many others on this list!)

https://www.benningtonbanner.com/opinion/columnists/commentary-schwartz-the-true-costs-of-big-solar-in-vermont/article_f4d5808f-278e-4183-b4d6-40a38caac887.html

I do think it important to grapple with the implications of AI and the new sprawl of data centers as this puts added pressure on natural areas. This is especially true in rural areas and the outskirts of cities. 

Best all around,

Judy

Bennington, Vermont

www.judithdschwartz.com

[Jim Bledsoe]

Solar panels belong on existing roofs. We need sales campaigns similar to the automobile industry 
where we convince the American consumer to finance instillation of these things.  

--
View this message at https://groups.google.com/a/googlegroups.com/d/msg/ecorestoration-alliance/topic-id/message-id
 
Group emails flooding your inbox? Click here: https://groups.google.com/g/ecorestoration-alliance/settings#email
 
Our website is at http://EcorestorationAlliance.org/
Our calendar is at https://tinyurl.com/EcoResCalendar
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "EcoRestoration Alliance" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to ecorestoration-al...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ecorestoration-alliance/DE062055-5F5A-48CB-BFA4-409DA9449BC9%40gmail.com.