The town of Woodland, North Carolina, just did something that their future generations might not be too proud of. The people democratically decided to disallow the rezoning of a plot of agricultural land to manufacturing, thereby nullifying any attempt to turn the area into a solar farm.
But what makes this entire incident internationally newsworthy are the reasons submitted by the residents to the Town Council, who then voted 3-1 in favor of disallowing the rezoning.
Apparently, the solar panels scare off the youth. “All the young people are going to move out”, warned Bobby Mann , a “concerned” resident. What solar farms have to do with small town to big city migration, Mann didn’t mention. He said the solar farms would suck up all the energy from the sun and businesses would not come to Woodland.
Another resident, Jane Mann chimed in with a headline-worthy argument. She believes that photosynthesis, which we all know needs sunlight, would not be possible with solar farms in the vicinity. She has apparently observed nearby plants which turned brown and she believes the culprit is solar farms. Jane Mann is a retired science teacher. Go figure.
The town already has approved three solar farms earlier and one of them is currently putting up its panels.
But Woodland residents have vehemently decided – No more! The town not only decided against the rezoning but decided on a moratorium on future solar farms.
Ignorance – 1. Science – 0.
From the perspective of an Indian, one can’t help but let out a sad sigh especially when the “developed” nations are criticizing India for being stubborn about not reducing carbon emission as much as the west wants us to. Dear America, maybe it’s time to look inwards instead of asking developing countries to clean up their act. Climate change is a major issue and we need to deal with it together but not all countries can make the same level of sacrifice. Developing nations need some time to find the right balance between conservation and development, but at least we’re not blaming the solar panels for sucking up the sun’s energy. At least, not yet.
h/t Independent