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According to a new study, wind turbines can be top predators in ecosystems by reducing bird populations and impacting all food chains.
Scientists have discovered that predatory raptor birds were four times rarer in parts of an Indian mountain range covered with wind turbines, suggesting that they avoided structures.
The prey of the raptors, the trained lizards, have become more confident and less frightened by humans because of the lack of predation.
"We have basically added a new main predator – a wind turbine," said Dr. Maria Thaker of the Indian Institute of Science of Bengaluru. L & # 39; Independent.
"What this predator does is remove the level below him – not kill him, but the result is the same."
These cascading effects on ecosystems suggest that it should be ensured that wind turbines do not have dangerous and far reaching consequences for nature.
Scientists are increasingly aware of the impact of these gigantic structures on wildlife. Studies have shown that birds and bats can be killed or frightened by their rotating blades.
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A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the pack ice near McMurdo Station, Antarctica
Kira Morris
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In the middle of a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft is looking for a dry place to shelter. Bangladesh is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to sea level rise, which is expected to leave tens of millions homeless by 2050.
Rashid Probal
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Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave located inside the Svinafellsjökull Glacier in Iceland, whose number has rapidly increased. Since 2000, the size of Icelandic glaciers has been reduced by 12%.
Tom Schifanella
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The floods destroyed eight bridges and destroyed crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad Valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have retreated, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating floods when shores break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while causing drought in others.
Hira Ali
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The smoke – filled with the carbon that causes climate change – drifts in a field in Colombia.
Sandra Rondon
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A river once flowed along the dry land depression of this part of Bangladesh, but it disappeared with rising temperatures.
Abrar Hossain
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Pakistan's Sindh province has had a sad mix of two consequences of climate change.
"Because of climate change, we have either floods or not enough water to irrigate our crops and feed our animals," says the photographer. "The picture clearly shows that extreme dryness creates large cracks in the clay. The crops are very difficult to grow. "
Rizwan Dharejo
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A shepherd moves his flock while he looks for a green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, in northern India.
The region was severely affected by heat waves and drought, which worried the local population about future projected increases in temperature.
Riddhima Singh Bhati
9/10
A factory in China is enveloped by atmospheric pollution. The World Health Organization has warned that such pollution, largely derived from fossil fuels at the root of climate change, would constitute a "public health emergency".
Leung Ka Wa
10/10
Water levels in reservoirs, such as the Gers, France, have been dangerously low in drought-affected areas of the world, forcing authorities to impose water restrictions.
Mahtuf Ikhsan
1/10
A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the pack ice near McMurdo Station, Antarctica
Kira Morris
2/10
In the middle of a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft is looking for a dry place to shelter. Bangladesh is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to sea level rise, which is expected to leave tens of millions homeless by 2050.
Rashid Probal
3/10
Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave located inside the Svinafellsjökull Glacier in Iceland, whose number has rapidly increased. Since 2000, the size of Icelandic glaciers has been reduced by 12%.
Tom Schifanella
4/10
The floods destroyed eight bridges and destroyed crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad Valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have retreated, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating floods when shores break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while causing drought in others.
Hira Ali
5/10
The smoke – filled with the carbon that causes climate change – drifts in a field in Colombia.
Sandra Rondon
6/10
A river once flowed along the dry land depression of this part of Bangladesh, but it disappeared with rising temperatures.
Abrar Hossain
7/10
Pakistan's Sindh province has had a sad mix of two consequences of climate change.
"Because of climate change, we have either floods or not enough water to irrigate our crops and feed our animals," says the photographer. "The picture clearly shows that extreme dryness creates large cracks in the clay. The crops are very difficult to grow. "
Rizwan Dharejo
8/10
A shepherd moves his flock while he looks for a green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, in northern India.
The region was severely affected by heat waves and drought, which worried the local population about future projected increases in temperature.
Riddhima Singh Bhati
9/10
A factory in China is enveloped by atmospheric pollution. The World Health Organization has warned that such pollution, largely derived from fossil fuels at the root of climate change, would constitute a "public health emergency".
Leung Ka Wa
10/10
Water levels in reservoirs, such as the Gers, France, have been dangerously low in drought-affected areas of the world, forcing authorities to impose water restrictions.
Mahtuf Ikhsan
However, this wind turbine playing an important role in the transition of fossil fuels to reduce the impact of climate change, experts believe that it is necessary to establish a compromise and ensure that wind turbines be built in the least impactful areas possible.
"The ultimate goal for me is that I will choose wind energy before fossil fuels every day," said Dr. Thaker.
"We just have to be smart about where they are, to minimize our impact on the ecosystem by choosing areas that are not unique and that we can not replace."
She suggested placing wind turbines in places we have already disturbed, for example above buildings, and said there should be a dialogue between environmentalists and the renewable energy sector.
Dr. Thaker's findings were published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
In the UK, the RSPB has discussed the issue of wind farms and concluded that such a type of strategic approach is needed to ensure that damage is minimized.
While noting that "climate change is the greatest long-term threat to our wildlife," they claim that wind farms should be located away from major flyways and important food areas. , breeding and resting species of vulnerable birds.
"Wind farms, although they play a crucial role in mitigating the effects of climate change, need to be built in the right places so as not to harm bird populations," said Dr. Aly McCluskie, conservation scientist at the RSPB.
"In places like the North Sea, we are starting to see unprecedented industrialization of the marine environment.
"The cumulative effects of increasingly poorly located wind farms could have disastrous consequences for our seabirds, which will heighten the pressures resulting from climate change."
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