Thursday 20 April 2023

‘Wind and solar PV are the green dream team for the environment’

Renewable energy offers a chance to reset the broken relationship between energy production and nature, says a new report by the Coalition Linking Energy and Nature for Action (CLEANaction), which includes NGOs, businesses, government bodies and financial institutions.

CLEANaction's first major report confirms that generating and storing energy from renewables is far less damaging to the environment than using fossil fuels, even when considering the full range of environmental impacts from sourcing raw materials to final operation.

The report suggests that focusing on wind and solar power can reduce environmental impacts compared to other renewable energy types, though it acknowledges that other renewables may be more suitable depending on local circumstances.

To limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, renewable energy will need to account for over 90% of electricity generation by 2050, according to International Energy Agency projections.

The report highlights how negative impacts from the energy transition can be carefully managed to prioritise renewable energy technologies causing the least damage to nature.

CLEANaction is calling on governments to undertake strategic-level energy planning to identify potential energy savings, suitable renewable energy sources, and sites for energy expansion in areas of low biodiversity sensitivity.

The group also wants governments to consider the impact on nature at the earliest stage of integrated clean energy planning, develop national regulatory schemes that require energy developers to contribute to national conservation targets, and invest in timely nature-sensitivity mapping to help direct technology siting through proper data.