By Olivia Murray
Say verabschiedung, au revoir, and arrivederci to the pristine beauty of the Swiss Alps, because a bunch of progressive bureaucrats and lawmakers decided that the “climate change” agenda took precedence over maintaining the natural beauty of the environment they ostensibly want to protect.
From a new report out at EcoNews:
The Swiss Alps offer views of some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes in the world. Movies such as The Sound of Music (1965) instilled images of these gorgeous mountains into the hearts and minds of people all over the globe. The landscape of Switzerland is about to change drastically as the government embraces renewable energy and sets up massive solar panel farms on mountaintops and in reservoirs.
We call this sight pollution.
Maybe I have a personal bias, but few things are more unsightly in a landscape than the shockingly ugly “green” energy schemes—like these solar panels but also wind turbines—and the progressives just love to plop them down in landscapes that are for all intents and purposes, world heritage sights.
In the water off the coast of Nantucket?
Along the lavender fields of Provence?
On the white chalk cliffs of Étretat?
The Swiss Alps?!
Seriously, what is wrong with these people?
A nuclear power plant is a heinous sight too, which is why you’d never plunk one down on Capri, in the middle of the Serengeti, or next to the pyramids of Egypt.
Now, the article’s writer actually seems to favor installing solar panels on the mountain tops, writing this:
Not everyone in Switzerland is happy about the fact that the government wants to build solar farms in the Swiss Alps. Many residents are crying out about the potential impact on tourism and local economies. Hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to Switzerland every year to experience the pure magic of the mountains. If they look up and see solar panels dotting the view, they may be less likely to come back the next year. The question is whether or not this risk is worth the benefit of embracing solar energy in the mountains.
On the other hand, some Swiss people are proud of their government for moving toward a sustainable future.
Allow me to answer… no, the “benefit” is not worth destroying the most iconic features of Switzerland. I mean, why not just slap these bad boys across the rooftops of Cappadocia, or affix them to the blue domed roofs of Santorini?
Nothing about solar panels is “sustainable.” They’re unable to be recycled, and contain microplastics and “forever chemicals” that leach into our soil and water supplies when they’re decommissioned, either through use or damage. And of course, mining the materials and elements needed for their manufacture requires diesel-powered heavy machinery.
And, have the progressives done any environmental impact studies on the local fauna? I doubt it.
This obviously isn’t about sustainability, but an agenda that thrives on destroying and demoralizing the West and its treasures.