THE safety of whales has been a major feature of the offshore wind debate currently raging in the Hunter, with claims spreading like wildfire on social media that the construction and operation of the renewable energy projects will threaten the beloved marine mammals.

Nelli Stevenson, Head of Investigations at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said while “everything we do in the ocean has an impact”, offshore wind projects are a far less environmentally damaging alternative to fossil fuel projects.

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“Of course, some impacts are associated with building offshore wind farms, which is exactly why these projects need proper environmental scrutiny,” Mr Stevenson said.

“Impacts from offshore wind development can include increased ship traffic, anchor points affecting the sea floor, and increased marine noise during construction.”

However, according to a statement released by Greenpeace last week, not a single peer-reviewed study has found that offshore wind farms kill whales.

“We have to compare these effects with the massive and permanent impacts of fossil fuel energy projects such as offshore oil and gas, which are highly destructive, dangerous, and drive climate change and plastic pollution, which are the biggest threats to our oceans,” Stevenson said.

While whale protection has been a major argument of anti-wind farm protesters, Greenpeace has evaluated scientific studies compiled on how offshore wind farms affect whales and other marine life, finding the impacts to be “generally low and temporary”.

“This is in stark contrast to oil and gas projects, which are a massive threat to our oceans – both in the short term, for example while they’re drilling and seismic blasting, and over time, when they cause climate change.

“We all want what’s best for wildlife but the biggest threat is offshore oil and gas, not wind farms.”

With Greenpeace having worked for decades to protect whales and the oceans in which they reside, Mr Stevenson reminded the community of the dangerous cumulative impacts of climate change on marine life.

“It’s absolutely crucial for Australia, and all countries around the world, to transition to renewable energy to protect whales and all ocean wildlife from the worsening impacts of climate change,” he said.

“Our society is powered by electricity, and it’s vital that electricity is being generated by clean energy sources that, on balance, have the lowest impact possible.

“When done right, offshore wind can be a huge part of that.”

With high profile Liberal and Nationals politicians frequenting Port Stephens in recent weeks, Stevenson also expressed disappointment in leaders exploiting the public’s love of whales and the ocean to spread disinformation on offshore wind projects.

“Politicians like Peter Dutton are willing to exploit people’s genuine love and concern for the ocean and spread disinformation to suit a political agenda.

“Honestly, if we were to hand out an award for environmental insincerity it would go to Peter Dutton.

“His is a cynical and disappointing campaign to exploit Australians’ love of the ocean and deliberately confuse them.”

Mr Stevenson also stated it was essential that “offshore energy projects are appropriately assessed by the regulator, and are constructed in a way that minimises effects on ocean wildlife”.

Hysteria around the perceived impact of offshore wind projects on whale health has ramped up in recent years in the United States, spurred on by the stranding of several humpback whales on the east coast earlier this year.

A series of new offshore wind developments in the region were handed the blame by sections of the American media.

According to FactCheck.org, while whales have been dying at an unusual rate along the Atlantic Coast since 2016, often from ship strikes or entanglements with fishing gear, Federal agencies and experts say there is no link to offshore wind activities.

“There’s basically zero chance that those surveys have caused any mortality,” Douglas Nowacek, the chair of marine conservation technology at Duke University told FactCheck.

The Marine Mammal Commission, an independent US agency whose mission is to protect marine mammals, said, “Despite several reports in the media, there is no evidence to link these strandings to offshore wind energy development.”

By Doug CONNOR