More than a thousand years ago the Christian community on the Scottish island of Iona may have looked out to sea and been filled with dread as they saw the sails of approaching Viking longships. Now there are fears that the descendants of that monastic community could look out to sea and witness another distressing sight – a huge wind farm.
Plans are afoot to build at least 91 wind turbines within 13 miles of Iona. Each turbine would be over a thousand feet tall. Less than a week remains for locals to give their views on the proposal.
Ruth Harvey, leader of the Iona Community told Premier Christian News that opposition to the plans was not confined to a few local Christians.
“It's not just Christians who are opposing this. There's a huge public swell across the globe opposing this particular wind farm. We understand the paradox because as a Christian community, we absolutely agree that the rapid transition away from fossil fuels is an act of repentance and restoration to which we are fully committed," she said.
“There's a profound moral and spiritual mandate for this, and we recognise ‘nimbyism’, and refusing or needlessly delaying a renewable project out of pure convenience or aesthetics is a luxury that the Earth just can't afford.”
The Iona Community is an ecumenical body that works towards peace, justice and a renewal of worship. Although founded in 1938, the group takes inspiration from the monastic community formed on the island by St Columba in the 6th century AD. In 795 AD the monastery was attacked and looted in what is the first recorded Viking raid in Scottish history.
Harvey added that the creation of the windfarm would destroy the peace of the many pilgrims who visit the island by imposing “a huge industrial landscape on the shores of a particularly world-renowned sacred site”.
ScottishPower Renewables has said it represents “a vital green energy project” argued that the proposal will benefit the Islands by providing electricity for two million homes.
