industries burning solid, liquid or gaseous fossil fuels. At the time of this legislation it was recognised that smoke pollution could be controlled, but that sulphur dioxide removal was generally impracticable. Hence, the higher the chimney, the better the dispersal of the air pollution.

Urban air quality improved following the Clean Air Acts. Research into and monitoring of airborne pollutants reinforced the view that tall chimneys ensured adequate dispersion in the atmosphere, reducing significantly the amount of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides pollution at ground level. However, concern grew regarding the eventual fate in the atmosphere of the pollution emitted. Aircraft measurements in the 1970s revealed that as much as 70% of sulphur dioxide emitted in the UK was leaving the country. It became clear that this pollution was the primary cause of the acidification of thousands of freshwater lakes in Scandinavia, and the damage to hundreds of thousands of trees.

Whilst chimneys and stacks are still used today to disperse pollution from fossil fuel burning, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides pollution from power stations and industry has been falling since the 1990s as a consequence of improved emission control technology in response to international agreements on transboundary pollution negotiated in the 1970s and 1980s.

  

Acid Rain

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Currently most wind energy is generated by land-based turbines and windfarms. In the UK in particular, however, concerns have been raised about the visual impact wind turbines have on the landscape, and many windfarm development proposals have been rejected as a consequence. If wind power was to contribute a significant proportion to electricity demand, it is expected that many thousands or tens of thousands of extra turbines would need to be erected.

Siting wind turbines offshore, however, reduces their visual impact. Furthermore, Greenpeace believe that the full North Sea offshore wind potential is more than three times the current electricity consumption of the North Sea countries. If 1% a year of offshore resources for the North Sea countries were used to displace fossil fuels over the next 12 years (the end of the Kyoto Protocol first commitment period), a saving of 186 million tonnes per year of carbon dioxide emissions could be made, equal to over 10% of current emission rates. Such a resource would provide clean electricity for 6.5 million homes each year.

The Greenpeace report can be downloaded here.

Source: Greenpeace website; Global Environmental Ch