Shanti Menon 2 minute read # 3 lies about wind energy, debunked in 30 seconds Published: May 27, 2025 We set the record straight on three common false claims about wind power, so your community can have a fact-based, constructive conversation about clean energy choices. --- ![A graphic with a yelling mouth and "Lie #1 They're killing the whales!" on it](/sites/default/files/styles/1440px_width_scale/public/2025-05/VS%20Myths%20May%202025-Myth%201.jpg?itok=HjKOwK5E) ## **The truth:** Offshore wind development does not kill whales. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency in charge of protecting whales, has found [no evidence](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/new-england-mid-atlantic/marine-life-distress/frequent-questions-offshore-wind-and-whales) linking offshore wind surveys or activity to whale deaths. This lie is often spread by groups that sound like they are concerned with environmental protection, such as Protect our Coasts NJ and Green Oceans, but are funded by [fossil fuel interests and climate denial think tanks](https://www.climatedevlab.brown.edu/post/against-the-wind-a-map-of-the-anti-offshore-wind-network-in-the-eastern-united-states). [Ship collisions](https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/ship-strikes-now-leading-cause-of-whale-deaths-uw-study-finds/#:~:text=Dec.,Seattle%20Times%20environment%20reporter) are the leading cause of death for large whales worldwide, and a warming planet is actually increasing those collisions. Heat-trapping pollution from fossil fuel energy is warming the oceans, shifting whales’ migration routes and feeding patterns, bringing them in closer contact with ships. Remote video URL --- ![A graphic with a yelling mouth and "Lie #2 They're killing all the birds!" on it](/sites/default/files/styles/1440px_width_scale/public/2025-05/VS%20Myths%20May%202025-Myth%202.jpg?itok=twi7wVhW) ## **The truth:** Neighborhood cats are 20,000 times more dangerous to birds than wind turbines. Wind turbine strikes can happen, but out of an estimated 3.3 billion bird deaths in 2014, less than .025% resulted from turbine collisions, according to analyses by [MIT](https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/do-wind-turbines-kill-birds-and-other-climate-questions/#:~:text=Wind%20turbines%20have%20long%20garnered,electricity%20from%20fossil%20fuel%20projects.) and the U.S. [Fish and Wildlife Service.](https://www.fws.gov/library/collections/threats-birds) Collisions with glass buildings are far more dangerous to birds, and no one proposes we stop building skyscrapers. And compared to cats, which kill billions of birds a year, wind turbines don’t even come close. Putting a bell on your cat – if they will allow such a thing – is a much better way to help birds. Topics - [ Climate and energy ](/all-stories?topic=21&subcategory=21) - [ People and planet ](/all-stories?topic=34&subcategory=34) - [ Clean air ](/all-stories?topic=34&subcategory=35) - [ Clean energy ](/all-stories?topic=21&subcategory=27) - [ Climate change ](/all-stories?topic=21&subcategory=26) - [ Extreme weather ](/all-stories?topic=21&subcategory=29) Share - [ LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://vitalsigns.edf.org/story/do-wind-turbines-kill-whales-wind-energy-myths "Share this on LinkedIn") - [ Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://vitalsigns.edf.org/story/do-wind-turbines-kill-whales-wind-energy-myths&text=Misinformation about wind power is rampant. Here are three of the most common lies you might hear, and how to refute them.  "Share this on Twitter") - [ Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://vitalsigns.edf.org/story/do-wind-turbines-kill-whales-wind-energy-myths "Share this on Facebook") - [ Pocket ](https://getpocket.com/edit?url=https://vitalsigns.edf.org/story/do-wind-turbines-kill-whales-wind-energy-myths "Share this on Pocket") - [ Flipboard ](https://share.flipboard.com/bookmarklet/popout?v=2&title=3 lies about wind energy, debunked in 30 seconds&url=https://vitalsigns.edf.org/story/do-wind-turbines-kill-whales-wind-energy-myths "Share this on Flipboard") - [ Telegram ](https://telegram.me/share/url?url=https://vitalsigns.edf.org/story/do-wind-turbines-kill-whales-wind-energy-myths&text=Misinformation about wind power is rampant. Here are three of the most common lies you might hear, and how to refute them.  "Share this on Telegram") ## Join the Anti-Misinformation Brigade [Sign up for monthly tips on how to spot and fight misinformation](https://actnow.edf.org/a/join-the-misinformation-brigade) --- ![A graphic with a yelling mouth and "Lie #3 It's too expensive!" on it](/sites/default/files/styles/1440px_width_scale/public/2025-05/VS%20Myths%20May%202025-Myth%203.jpg?itok=FN4UFj5i) ## **The truth:** Wind farms in the U.S. are already reducing electricity bills. Land-based wind projects provide one of the [lowest-priced energy sources](https://www.energy.gov/eere/wind/advantages-and-challenges-wind-energy) available today. [Iowa](https://www.eia.gov/state/print.php?sid=IA), where more than 50% of electricity comes from wind, has some of the lowest electricity prices in the country. Recent news stories have focused on offshore wind project delays and cancellations, which are being driven by the Trump administration’s actions to block permitting for wind development as well as rising equipment costs. But offshore wind can also bring down electric bills and reduce health costs. A recent study by Resources for the Future, a nonpartisan think tank, [examined](https://www.rff.org/publications/working-papers/offshore-wind-power-examined-effects-benefits-and-costs-of-offshore-wind-farms-along-the-us-atlantic-and-gulf-coasts/) 32 planned U.S. offshore wind projects. They calculated that the benefits of following through on these projects would outweigh costs by 14 to 1. The benefits included preventing 520 premature deaths each year from air pollution and reducing electric bills. - [**3 common climate lies, debunked in 30 seconds**](/story/global-warming-lie-3-climate-change-lies-debunked "Is global warming a lie? 3 climate change lies, debunked ") - [**Myths about solar and wind could stall the fight against climate change**](/story/myths-about-solar-and-wind-could-stall-fight-against-climate-change "Myths about solar and wind could stall the fight against climate change") ## Learn more False claims about wind and other renewable energy sources are pervasive. [Get the facts](https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fedf.org%2Foffshore-wind-power&data=05%7C02%7Csmenon%40edf.org%7Caa01d858c51c4a21d84008dd97b9d937%7Cfe4574edbcfd4bf0bde843713c3f434f%7C0%7C0%7C638833546644527664%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=yFCKlPZhpDsA4MT34k3eUVt7dM2L6mvgcHq9cz%2FlT04%3D&reserved=0) from Environmental Defense Fund. ## Environmental news that matters, straight to your inbox Topics - [ Climate and energy ](/all-stories?topic=21&subcategory=21) - [ People and planet ](/all-stories?topic=34&subcategory=34) - [ Clean air ](/all-stories?topic=34&subcategory=35) - [ Clean energy ](/all-stories?topic=21&subcategory=27) - [ Climate change ](/all-stories?topic=21&subcategory=26) - [ Extreme weather ](/all-stories?topic=21&subcategory=29) - [ LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://vitalsigns.edf.org/story/do-wind-turbines-kill-whales-wind-energy-myths "Share this on LinkedIn") - [ Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://vitalsigns.edf.org/story/do-wind-turbines-kill-whales-wind-energy-myths&text=Misinformation about wind power is rampant. 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