Wang, Jingyu, Li, Cai, Deng, Zhongci et al. (8 more authors) (2025) Biodiversity Impacts of Land Occupation for Renewable Energy Infrastructure in a Globally Connected World. Environmental science & technology. ISSN 1520-5851
Abstract
The transition to renewable energy exacerbates direct land occupation by infrastructure, leading to habitat degradation and biodiversity loss. However, biodiversity loss driven by the production and consumption of different renewable energy deployment scenarios remains largely unquantified. Quantifying biodiversity loss associated with land occupation of renewable energy infrastructure is essential for a sustainable energy transition. Here, we developed a novel data set to evaluate renewable energy-related biodiversity loss by considering the current infrastructure setting and future development pathways. We found that the land occupation of renewable energy infrastructure resulted in global biodiversity loss equivalent amounting to 19 × 10 -4 global pdf in 2015. Severe biodiversity loss was concentrated primarily in densely populated and economically advanced countries, such as China, the United States, Brazil, India, Australia, Russia, and countries across Western Europe. International trade accounted for 14% of the biodiversity loss. Future renewable energy transition scenarios will lead to a global cumulative biodiversity loss of 1.2 × 10 -2-2.2 × 10 -2 global pdf during 2015-2060. By 2060, ambitious energy transition policies are projected to increase the biodiversity loss by 1.7-1.8 times. The results underscore that while renewable energy could tackle climate change, its deployment should avoid encroaching on biodiversity hotspots.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2025 American Chemical Society. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the University’s Research Publications and Open Access policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Biology (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Environment and Geography (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 05 Mar 2025 15:50 |
Last Modified: | 05 Mar 2025 15:50 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c11453 |
Status: | Published online |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1021/acs.est.4c11453 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:224096 |