The world is already experiencing the potentially irreversible impacts of climate change on natural and human systems.
In fact, the daily record for the average sea surface temperature has been broken since 4th May 2023. This has resulted in considerable impacts on global sea life, including the mass bleaching of coral.1
DNV’s latest Energy Transition Outlook (ETO) report highlights a worrying trend towards a 2.2°C global warming scenario, a prediction backed by almost 80% of climate experts from the Intergovernmental Plan on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC foresee at least 2.5°C of global heating between now and 21002 – far exceeding the 1.5°C ambition of the Paris Agreement.
Climate change is a major driver of biodiversity loss and, as a result, they are inherently linked. Many land and ocean ecosystems have already changed due to global temperature increases.3 As reported by IPCC, limiting global warming impacts to 1.5°C is projected to lower the impacts on terrestrial, freshwater, and coastal ecosystems than at higher temperatures. With current forecasts and predictions far surpassing this threshold, climate change effects on people, wildlife and ecosystems will be even more severe – we will face higher species and habitat loss, and higher rates of species extinction.
Therefore, as we transition from fossil fuels to tackle climate change, it is crucial to consider the implications of the energy transition on biodiversity. An intrinsically linked problem requires a connected solution.
The energy sector currently accounts for 10% of the pressures causing biodiversity4 loss. However, with the transition to greener energy, significant infrastructure growth will be required – both on land and in seas and oceans and so this has the potential to adversely impact biodiversity.
DNV has forecasted that electricity generation in the UK will increase from 315 TWh/year to 700 TWh/year in 2050. Power generation from variable renewable resources, such as solar and wind, will have the most dramatic increase, and is forecast to grow from 90 TWh/year to 560 TWh/year in the UK by 2050. Therefore, this means that the UK’s energy transition could result in significant biodiversity loss, both inside and outside the geographical borders of the UK.
Globally, one-third of areas with high solar and wind power potential and many of the reserves of critical minerals used in renewable power infrastructure overlap with areas of high biodiversity value.5 Action needs to be taken to protect biodiversity within these areas and companies should consider the implications of their green energy project on biodiversity across their entire supply chain.
Measuring biodiversity is difficult as nature is far more complex than carbon or scope emissions and it involves many challenges and uncertainties. One of the main challenges in monitoring biodiversity is spatial and temporal scales as species, habitats and ecosystems will change with seasonality, migration patterns, life cycles, etc. Determining the baseline biodiversity of an area prior to the commencement of any construction is crucial as it will allow for linkages between operations and the effects on the environment to be determined. Subsequently the impacts on ecosystems should be monitored throughout an asset’s operational life to understand the effects on the natural area. This will allow for recommendations and mitigation actions to be introduced to protect nature. Therefore, project developers, investors and other concerned parties should consider biodiversity throughout each stage of the project cycle, and this should be backed up by government policies.
Balancing the energy transition with biodiversity conservation is essential to achieve a truly sustainable future. While renewable energy is crucial for combating climate change, careful planning, impact mitigation, and ongoing management are necessary to protect and enhance biodiversity. By integrating these considerations into energy policies and projects, we can ensure that the transition to clean energy supports both climate goals and the health of ecosystems worldwide.
REFERENCES
- BBC - Climate change: World's oceans suffer from record-breaking year of heat
- The Guardian - World’s top climate scientists expect global heating to blast past 1.5C target
- IPCC - Special Report: Global warming of 1.5 ºC - Summary for policymakers
- ScienceDirect - Impacts of Green New Deal Energy Plans on Grid Stability, Costs, Jobs, Health, and Climate in 143 Countries
- OECD - Mainstreaming Biodiversity into Renewable Power Infrastructure
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