Wind, solar cleaner for energy transitions than other renewables

Wind, solar cleaner for energy transitions than other renewables

Subject: Environment

Section: International convention and Organization

Context: Clean energy coalition of WWF, IRENA says shift to renewable energy must protect nature; all forms of renewable power are better than fossil fuels.

Findings:

• A transition to Net Zero by scaling up wind and solar energy projects would be significantly less damaging than other renewable pathways, stated a new report by non-profit World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and intergovernmental organisation International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
• Adopting the right mix of low-carbon technologies to meet energy demand can help stabilise global temperatures and protect ecosystems, noted the document by Coalition Linking Energy and Nature for action (CLEANaction).
• Construction of other renewable energy projects, such as hydropower dams and associated reservoirs, often leads to the inundation of vast swathes of natural habitat and alters natural flow regimes and downstream habitats, the document added.
• Bioenergy, for instance, in all its forms, including biomass, biofuel and biogas, has a larger biodiversity impact per unit of energy than that of wind and solar.

Coalition Linking Energy And Nature for action:

• Coalition Linking Energy and Nature for action (CLEAN) is a global initiative that aims to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy by promoting the sustainable production and use of bioenergy.
• It was launched in 2019 by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and other international organizations.
• CLEAN action aims to highlight the need for new renewable energy generation projects to be carefully assessed for their impacts on biodiversity, allowing the options that are the least damaging to nature to be prioritised.
• Today, many renewable energy developers have little awareness or consideration for the impact on nature, be it on land, the ocean, or freshwater ecosystems.
• CLEAN action hopes to change this, so that the effect on biodiversity is a required element of any new proposed energy initiative.