“It’s amazing to see Republicans steal the issue of saving whales from Democrats,” Shellenberger said on X. The physical structures of wind turbines don’t affect right whales at all, but Trump is the king of fake news.
President Donald Trump has promised to pause offshore wind turbine construction leases, which could save the Atlantic right whale from extinction, said Environmental Progress founder Michael Shellenberger.
The installation of wind turbine foundations often involves pile driving, which generates loud underwater noise. This noise can potentially cause hearing damage, stress, or behavioural changes in whales, say researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
“It’s incredible to watch Republicans steal the save-the-whales issue from Democrats,” Shellenberger said on X.
Trump has vowed to “end offshore wind on day one” of his presidency. He made the commitment during a campaign rally in New Jersey, in 2024, emphasizing his dislike for wind turbines, describing them as harmful to the environment, expensive, and ugly.
“Windmills are causing whales to die in numbers never seen before,” said Trump during a 2023 rally.
“The windmills are driving them crazy. They’re driving the whales, I think, a little batty.”
Pundits say Trump’s wind turbine promise is connected to his energy policies, which favour fossil fuels over renewable sources.
His position is criticized by environmentalists and renewable energy advocates as being based on politics — not science.
