Wind turbines kill millions of bats in US study finds

Wind turbines killed 18.7 million bats in the United States between 1981 and 2024, Euronews reported. The figures come from a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which examined deaths across 28 bat species. Researchers described the annual loss of wildlife as a shocking number. [1]

The annual mortality rate has increased sharply alongside the expansion of clean energy, according to Euronews. Approximately 100,000 bats died each year around two decades ago. By 2021, the annual total reached 1.5 million deaths because of the boom in wind energy development. [1]

Bats are winged mammals and are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Their sizes range from Kitti's hog-nosed bat, which weighs two grams, to the giant golden-crowned flying fox, which weighs 1.5 kilograms and has a wingspan of 1.6 metres. [2]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, the United States government has continued to advance clean energy developments. The Trump administration approved wind energy projects in Maine and South Dakota to gather support for a Senate permitting bill. [4]

Researchers noted that solutions are available to help reduce bat deaths at wind energy facilities, Euronews reported. Wind power remains a key part of the global effort to transition away from fossil fuels. [1]