Windmills Are Murdering The Whales!
The Climate Denier's Playbook
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The Complicated Landscape of Whale Conservation and Industry Influence
This chapter explores the challenges of whale conservation efforts in the context of financial influences from the oil and gas industry. It highlights the potential conflict of interest as some groups prioritize opposition to wind energy over genuine marine protection.
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They say the wind is driving the whales crazy.
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DISCLAIMER: Some media clips have been edited for length and clarity.
CREDITS
- Created by: Rollie Williams, Nicole Conlan & Ben Boult
- Hosts: Rollie Williams & Nicole Conlan
- Executive Producer: Ben Boult
- Editors: Ben Boult & Laura Conte
- Producers: Irene Plagianos, Daniella Philipson
- Associate Producer: Miranda Manganaro
- Archival Producer: Margaux Sax
- Additional Research and Fact Checking: Carly Rizzuto & Canute Haroldson
- Music: Tony Domenick
- Art: Jordan Doll
- Special Thanks: The Civil Liberties Defense Center
SOURCES
- Anderson, D. (2023, October 23). Fossil fuel money lurks behind anti-offshore wind power political ads in New Jersey. Energy and Policy Institute.
- Anderson, D. (2024). Fueling the Opposition. Energy and Policy Institute.
- Axelrod, J. (2024, June 26). Whales Are Dying but Not from Offshore Wind. Scientific American.
- BGNews. (2023, May 3). JFarage: The Trump Interview | Wednesday 3rd May. YouTube.
- Berger, I. (2025, February 4). Years of falsehoods from Fox News helped solidify offshore wind as a prime target for Trump. Media Matters for America.
- Berke, B. (2025, January 22). Prysmian abandons plans for offshore wind cable factory in Somerset. The Public’s Radio; Rhode Island PBS.
- Chapman, M. (2025, January 8). Are Offshore Wind Farms Actually Harming Whales? IFLScience.
- Choma, R. (2020, August 4). The biggest Trump financial mystery? Where he came up with the cash for his Scottish resorts. Mother Jones.
- Daly, M. (2018, November 30). Trump admin approves seismic surveys for Atlantic drilling. AP News.
- Farrell, R. (2024, December 11). Too hot for humpbacks: The race to protect Pacific whales. BBC.
- Fox News. (2023, February 1). Tucker examines what's behind the deaths of humpback whales. YouTube.
- Fox Business. (2023, February 23). Are wind turbines killing whales? YouTube
- Frequent Questions—Offshore Wind and Whales. (2024, March 14). NOAA Fisheries.
- Griffiths, B. (2016, November 22). Trump tweeted about Scottish wind farm 60 times. POLITICO.
- Hardach, S. (2025, January 30). Which is worse for wildlife, wind farms or oil drilling? BBC.
- Lewis, A. S. (2023, March 8). The East Coast Whale Die-Offs: Unraveling the Causes. Yale E360; Yale School of the Environment.
- Lutz, M., & Rowland-Shea, J. (2023, December 11). The Oil and Gas Industry Is Behind Offshore Wind Misinformation. Center for American Progress.
- Machette, T. L., & Lemonick, M. D. (2020, October 4). When Whales Stop Calling. Scientific American.
- Mathis, W., & Ferman, M. (2025, January 30). Shell Takes $1 Billion Hit on Wind Farm Trump Wants ‘Dead.’ Bloomberg.
- PowerfulJRE. (2024, October 25). Joe Rogan Experience #2219 - Donald Trump. YouTube.
- Roadmap and Implementation. (2017). Ocean Noise Strategy; NOAA.
- Seismic Airgun Blasting in the Atlantic Ocean. (2021, May 21). Earthjustice.
- Slevin, I., Kattrup, W., & Roberts, T. (2023). Against the Wind: A Map of the Anti-Offshore Wind Network in the Eastern United States. Brown University Climate and Development Lab.
- Silva, M., & Horton, J. (2023, September 26). Fact-checking Donald Trump’s claim that wind turbines kill whales. BBC.
- Spring, J. (2025, February 16). Trump’s war on wind seems to be winning, experts say. The Washington Post.
- Stevens, A. P. (2024, May 9). Are offshore wind farms harming right whales? Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
- The White House. (2025, January 2). Temporary Withdrawal of All Areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing and Review of the Federal Government’s Leasing and Permitting Practices for Wind Projects.
- Understanding Sound in the Ocean | NOAA Fisheries. (n.d.). NOAA Fisheries.
- White, S. (2024, March 1). Fossil Fuel Interests and Dark Money Donors Are Behind Opposition to Offshore Wind. Conservation Law Foundation.
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