‘Godfathers of wind’ raise alarm as Trump urges countries to abandon climate fight

Two European pioneers of the modern wind power industry are sounding the alarm on the Trump administration’s clean energy cutbacks, warning Washington’s anti-climate agenda is part of a broader energy transition challenge.

Denmark’s Henrik Stiesdal and Britain’s Andrew Garrad, often referred to as the “Godfathers of wind” for their contributions in advancing the design, manufacture and deployment of wind turbines, said Trump’s war on wind appears to be a symptom of more widespread climate apathy.

Stiesdal is known for framing the early design principles for wind turbines and led the installation of the world’s first offshore wind farm in 1991, while Garrad developed computer models to optimize and certify turbine and farm designs.

“I think Trump’s approach is symptomatic of a general shift,” Garrad said, in comments echoed by Stiesdal, one that is opposed to the transition from fossil fuels to renewable technologies, such as wind and solar.

“We are facing right now, a change of mood. We had a very easy beginning, then quite a big struggle, then general acceptance, and now the worm is turning. And that’s something which we all have to address,” Garrad told CNBC.