OPINION: Tall tales

Climate change is a clear threat facing people, wildlife, and marine life here in New Jersey and around the globe. A consensus within the scientific community indicates that we need to drastically slash carbon emissions if we want to limit the damaging consequences caused by a warming planet. Yet, special interests are attempting to disrupt our progress by stymying the deployment of New Jersey’s burgeoning offshore wind energy sector – a key component to reducing carbon emissions. If we want to fight climate change, we need a strong American wind industry.

Unfortunately, some of New Jersey’s representatives in Congress are playing politics around climate change. Republican Reps. Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith have attempted to draw a connection between the recent spate of whale strandings in the Northeast to offshore wind, despite experts saying that the deaths are more likely the result of increased vessel traffic and entanglements with fishing gear. Van Drew also plans to introduce legislation that will call for a moratorium on existing and future offshore wind production.

However, three federal agencies have refuted these claims. “Despite several reports in the media, there is no evidence to link these strandings to offshore wind energy development,” the Marine Mammal Commission said in February. Furthermore, studies performed on beached humpback whales found that 40% showed signs of having suffered a ship collision or entanglement in fishing gear.

In today’s sensationalized political and media climate, it’s easy to lose sight of the facts in the pursuit of political ends. As a marine scientist with decades of experience, I know firsthand the importance of data and facts to building blocks of evidence-based decision-making. These claims that whales and wind are tied together run completely counter to facts.

Van Drew has long been an opponent of offshore wind development in New Jersey, expressing his “complete opposition” to the further implementation of such projects last October, before the recent period of beachings began.

Now that media outlets have been spreading the false narrative that offshore wind projects may harm whale population, Van Drew is seizing the opportunity to win public support for his broader goal of curtailing offshore wind development altogether, even if New Jersey is hurt in the process.

Unfortunately, his legislation could actually contribute to a rise in whale deaths over the long term. Climate change is projected to be the primary cause of mass extinction for whales and dolphins by the end of the century: one study has already found that rising sea temperatures due to climate change have reduced the critically endangered right whale population.

Wind energy will be critical for our state to reach its ambitious goal of achieving 100% clean energy. With 5.5 gigwatts of offshore wind energy in the pipeline – enough to power more than 2.5 million New Jersey homes – we will make serious progress in curbing our carbon emissions.

These whale deaths should by no means be ignored, but spreading misleading information for political gain will not help anyone or any mammal. We can all agree that this anomalous mass mortality event mandates a thorough review conducted by the government and marine life experts. It’s unfortunate, but not surprising, to see so many public officials quickly jump aboard this narrative as a means to support their own political paradigm.

Walt Nadolny has been a professor of Marine Transportation at SUNY Maritime College for 18 years. He has been a delegate to the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee and is a former member of the steering committee of the Environmental Consortium of Hudson River Valley Colleges and Universities.