PETER CLACK: The world will have to deal with 43 million tons of decommissioned wind turbine blades by Net Zero in 2050. To put that in perspective, it’s the equivalent weight of 215,000 locomotives.

Feature of the Global Warming grift, not a bug https://t.co/Il5i4b4g9U

— Tom Luongo (@TFL1728) May 2, 2026

from Peter Clack,

The world will have to deal with 43 million tons of decommissioned wind turbine blades by Net Zero in 2050. To put that in perspective, it’s the equivalent weight of 215,000 locomotives. These blades are made of high-strength composites designed to survive decades of brutal weather, and they are notoriously difficult to recycle. They were built to last, but they weren't built to disappear. Every turbine standing today will likely be decommissioned and replaced at least once before 2050. Without a cost-effective way to recycle fibre-reinforced polymers, the majority of these massive blades are destined for eternity - buried forever in turbine graveyards. China, Europe, and the US will account for the vast majority of this waste, creating a mountainous industrial heartache that many Net Zero models simply haven't priced in.

But 43 million tons of purely composite blade waste every 20 years is a colossal physical reality.