The environmental record of natural gas is surely better than that of wind farms, which according to the American Bird Conservancy, kill birds at a rate of up to 14 birds per megawatt per year. ...Millions of bats are also killed by wind farms each year from the rapid drop in air pressure that causes their lungs to explode.

Stocks related to wind and solar energy underperformed substantially over the past year. Although many commentators hyped the group as a play on Obama's presidency and a global cap-and-trade scheme, savvy investors made real money last year in stocks related to dirty energy sources such as coal and oil. And don't expect wind and solar energy names to perform well this year. Even with demand likely to bounce back, both industries face massive overcapacity and falling profit margins. For solar energy stocks, a big drop in subsidies from the German government remains a major headwind. Check out the graph below.

In Italy, sprawling prop-style wind turbine ‘farms' are sprouting up in ever-increasing numbers and, as they do, the death toll soars for thousands upon thousands of birds of prey. ..."Wind farm building continues unchecked and within a few years we will witness the almost total disappearance from the Apennine mountains and from Sicily of the Golden Eagle, the Bonelli`s Eagle, the Griffon Vulture, the Red Kite and many others," farmers' organization Coldiretti and national environmental organizations said in a recent report in Life In Italy.com.