Donald Trump, you and I have very little in common. Your politics, for one, but also your lifestyle. You like to live in palaces made of gold; I live in a humble ranch style house. You like to accumulate material wealth any way you can; I define wealth differently. You like to play golf; I like to play music. You live by the motto of peace through strength; I believe in peace through compassion.
So, suffice it to stay, I was very surprised to find out that we do have one commonality: our concern for the plight of wild birds. I am glad you agree that this incredible group of animals that has declined by about 30% over the last 50 years needs protection. I have gathered this from your frequent references to them in the context of wind energy.
I must admit, it does seem odd that you care so much since all other signs point to you not really caring. For one, you seem to be obsessed with building things like golf courses, resorts and skyscrapers, all major threats to birds. Furthermore, you are gutting environmental legislation, and fast-tracking mining, drilling and road building in sensitive wildlife areas. Strange, too, is that, despite your passion for birds, your administration promotes fossil fuels, petrochemicals and industrial-scale farming.
In addition, since I am certain your love for nature is not confined to birds alone, your policies seem to indicate that you are not aware that other groups of wild animals are experiencing similarly shocking declines. This phenomenon is often referred to as the “biodiversity crisis,” but, to appeal to your admiration for simplicity, I will refer to it as the “nature crisis” from now on. That would fit better on a hat!
Now that we have that cleared up, I want to applaud you for keenly recognizing that the nature crisis is sometimes ignored even by environmentalists. Wind turbines do kill birds, and, true to your defiant spirit, you seem to be the only notable politician willing to talk about it. In 2021, for example, the American Bird Conservancy estimated that 1.7 million birds were killed in this way, certainly a large number that is not to be dismissed.
However, since I understand how disturbing the loss of nature is to those of us with biophilia, I want to share with you something that gives me great comfort. When it comes to wind turbines, there are people working on the problem. There has been some success in painting the blades in contrasting colors, for example. Site location is also very important. Since you are such a fan, you’ll like the fact that efforts to save birds using artificial intelligence are also being explored.
Can we have our birds and wind turbines, too? I think it’s probable.
So now that you can rest assured that our cherished birds will be safe from wind turbines, you can address much more dangerous threats to birds and other animals such as overdevelopment, unsustainable agriculture, pesticides, light/sound pollution and climate change.
Thank you, Mr. Trump, for your attention to this matter. I look forward to seeing what innovative wildlife preserving ideas take shape in that brilliant mind.
Caelin Graber lives in Greenville. She can be reached at caelingraber@gmail.com.