Drive to Makarska

This morning we departed bright and early from our hotel atop a mountain in Istria and are heading for the coastal region of Makarska. While we are spending over eight hours on the bus today, I have sighted a few things worth mentioning. The regions of Croatia we are traveling through today are located along the cost of the Adriatic Sea and thus strong winds are a daily occurrence. These types of coastal winds provide great opportunities for resources but also offer some challenges for public health. While most days man and wind can interact with no problems, this is unfortunately not always the case. In the winter months especially the tidal winds can be especially strong and have been known to even cause traveling cars to turn over during a strong gust. Obviously this is a very serious traffic safety problem yet some safeguards have been put in place to protect drivers along this region. In many of the stretches of highway most exposed to the tidal winds, special wind barriers have been placed to help prevent serious accidents due to these strong gusts.

While the wind can pose some challenges, it is also a great resource for energy and it seems that many areas of Croatia along the coast are harnessing its potential. Traveling along the highway, I have noticed several mountain tops lined along both sides with turbines for harnessing the power of the wind. It is not every day in the U.S. that I come across so many windmills in one place. It is unfortunate that many coastal areas in the U.S. are lined by high price homes and residents will often protest proposed wind turbines because they don’t wish to have such a ghastly sight near their property. I find that these windmills almost add something to an already beautiful coastal landscape in Croatia. While they are noticeable atop the mountains, they have a certain serene nature and I believe add character to the landscape. Beyond aesthetics, these wind turbines can help to improve air quality and thus human health. If you have watched t.v. over the past year, you’ve probably seen commercials featuring the well known oil tycoon Boone Pickens. Over the past several years, Mr. Pickens has become a strong advocate for energy independence, or reducing our dependence on foreign sources of oil. While many of these commercials focus on increasing the use of natural gas, which is abundant in the U.S., Mr. Pickens is also an advocate for wind energy. In fact, he is currently planning the construction of the largest “wind farm” or collection of wind turbines in the U.S. which will be located in the state of Texas.

The energy power of the wind is significant and its production has virtually no negative impact on the environment. Yet, wind power alone will never be enough to provide all the world’s power. A sound energy policy will utilize all possible environmentally friendly sources of energy: wind, solar, geothermal, and even perhaps nuclear to reduce the amount of energy from fossil fuel burning facilities. Currently the most common method of energy production is coal burning, which emits large amounts of so called greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrous and sulfur oxides, among others. Through various mechanisms, these greenhouse gases pollute the air and can cause increased mortality and increased rates of various respiratory disorders and some forms of cancer. Thus it is exciting to see these wind turbines lining the mountains. By placing even more along high wind regions, Croatia will further eat up the part of the energy pie occupied by fossil fuels. With this small step Croatia will help to ensure cleaner air and better health for the people.

-Ben