yes2wind, the pro-wind campaign and support group has had a complaint against Trump International Golf Club Scotland Limited upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
A complaint was filed on behalf of yes2wind in December 2102, following a misleading and distasteful advertisement that appeared in Scottish newspapers, The Courier and The Press and Journal on 14 December 2012. The ASA has ruled that Mr Trump’s claims regarding wind turbines could not be substantiated and were misleading. The evidence that was used to back up Mr Trumps claims actually itself stated that 99% of people who had seen a wind farm suggested that it would not have any effect on their own tourism habits. The ASA stated its adjudication of the complaint that the ad must not appear in its current form again. They told Trump International Golf Club Scotland Ltd not to make misleading claims unless they could be substantiated with robust evidence and not to use misleading imagery.
Alex Doyle, Managing Director of yes2wind said: “As a vital part of the UK’s energy mix, wind turbines can sit side by side with tourism. The most up to date credible research carried out shows that wind turbines do not have any negative effect on tourism in Scotland. This is the conclusions of both the Scottish Government and VisitScotland, Scotland’s National Tourism Organisation.
“In fact, by June 2012, Whitelee Wind Farm’s visitors centre in East Ayrshire had received over 250,000 visitors since opening in September 2009 and this is despite closing in the winter months. At the same time, estimates suggest that beyond the official figures for the visitor centre, at least a further 100,000 people have directly accessed the wind farm’s 90km of trails for recreational purposes such as jogging and cycling.
“There are often a lot of myths regarding wind energy, and yes2wind works with developers and supporters to address these misconceptions. The misleading Donald Trump advert is a prime example of this. Wind energy is already cheaper than coal by a penny per unit and it is predicted that by 2030 electricity from onshore wind farms will cost at most 8.5p per unit, compared to 15p for coal1.”
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Press release, April 17, 2013; Image: yes2wind