Renewable Energies Can Fight Climate Change

Climate change and biodiversity loss are two of the most important and urgent problems that our world is facing right now. Climate change means that Earth’s long-term climate patterns are changing, and the planet is getting warmer in most places (also called global warming). One of the reasons is that when fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and natural gas) are burned to produce energy, the gases that are released (called greenhouse gases) build up in the atmosphere, trapping the sun’s heat close to the Earth. The problem is that, in the last century, these gases have increased because of human activities, and Earth’s temperature is rising. Climate change is also one of the biggest causes of biodiversity loss, which means that animals and plants are disappearing from the planet. So, it is crucial to find solutions that help us live in a sustainable way and conserve nature.

To prevent climate change from getting worse, people have started using more renewable energies instead of fossil fuels. Renewable energy comes from natural resources, like wind, sunlight, water, or Earth’s heat. Renewable energies are cleaner than fossil fuels and most importantly, they are unlimited (we could never use all the wind in the world)!

Wind power, solar power, and hydroelectricity are the most common types of renewable energy used today (Figure 1) [1, 2]. To produce energy from wind, large windmills or wind turbines are constructed, with huge blades that are moved by the wind. Solar energy is produced by using solar panels to convert the power of the sun into electricity. Hydroelectricity refers to the energy generated by the movement of water. Hydroelectric power can involve a dam (a wall across a river) that creates a water reservoir, or a device like a water wheel placed in flowing water, in which water is guided through a channel. In either case, water spins a turbine generating electricity [1, 2]. Producing renewable energy in the ocean is becoming more common but, in this article, we focus on renewable energy produced on land and in rivers.

Renewable Energies Can Impact Animals

Renewable energies might be the best way to stop climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but sometimes they can cause problems for nature. These problems usually happen because the physical structures needed to produce renewable energies (such as wind turbines, solar panels, or dams) change how nature works, hurt animals and plants, or take up too much space, changing the land (for example, cutting down a forest to build a dam) and causing animals to move away. Many researchers have been studying these negative impacts and here are some important things they have discovered [1–4]:

• Birds and bats can be killed if they collide with wind turbines, and these animals can also change their behavior around the turbines (for example, stop using the area where the turbines are).

• Building a hydroelectric power plant with a dam can change which species live in that area.

• Many aquatic animals, like fish, cannot swim over a dam—so dams make it difficult for them to move to new places to eat, live, or lay eggs.

• Building solar panels can change, reduce, or eliminate areas that some bats and reptiles need to live.

• Wind turbines, solar panels, and dams can be built in areas where the animals are already negatively affected by other human activities, such as deforestation, hunting, or pollution. Combined, renewable energy structures and other human actions can worsen the problems animals face.

Our work at the University of Copenhagen is related to the various human activities happening in the same places where renewable energy structures are located. We are looking at which areas are safest and most harmful for nature when building renewable energy structures, to help decide where to expand them and where we need to better protect nature. So far, our research showed that the overlapping activities change depending on the region and the type of animals that are affecting. For example, in South and Central America, multiple threats to nature often happen together in the same places. In Europe, these threats overlap less often, but when they do, they affect larger areas.

Every animal has an important job in nature, and they are all connected! If one animal disappears, others may have to change the way they live or what they eat, and the whole ecosystem suffers. People are part of this too! If nature is unbalanced, it can affect our food, the air we breathe, and even the weather.

How Can We Reduce the Negative Impacts of Renewable Energies?

As the use of renewable energies grows and many more wind turbines and solar panels are built around the world (and a smaller number of hydroelectric dams), this could create more problems for animals. Luckily, there are many ways to reduce these complications [2, 5, 6]. A renewable energy project can follow a specific, step-by-step plan that helps people who are building things limit the amount of harm they cause to nature. This is called a mitigation hierarchy plan. These plans are also used for other types of projects, such as building roads.

The first step in a mitigation hierarchy plan is to choose the best place to build the renewable energy structure, avoiding areas that may be problematic for nature (Figure 2). Many studies suggest avoiding undisturbed areas where animals live, especially if their numbers are getting so low that they might disappear forever. Also, some animals are more likely to be affected by renewable energies than others. For example, big birds that fly by riding air currents (such as vultures and eagles) and bats that use trees for shelter seem to be more vulnerable to collisions with the blades of wind turbines. So, knowing if the animals present in an area are more vulnerable and are found in large numbers can help planners avoid that area. Other important areas to avoid include places where animals breed or along routes they follow to move between places. Good spots to build solar panels can include areas where people have already built things, like on building rooftops, or on land that is already damaged and no longer home to many animals.

Planners can also help keep animals safe around renewable energy structures once they are built. For example, birds can be kept safer around wind turbines if the turbine’s blades are painted, so the birds can see them better and avoid them. Also, wind turbines could use special radar that makes sounds to warn birds to stay away, or turbines could be turned off for short periods to allow birds to fly past safely. To keep fish safe from dams, fish passage systems can be built to let fish swim through or around the dam wall, such as channels that run parallel to the wall and create a path that feels natural for fish.

Even if these protective measures do not work perfectly, planners can compensate for the negative impacts caused by renewable energy structures. This means they can take actions to improve other areas where animals live or breed (where renewable energy systems are not being built), to help conserve animals and their habitats. Examples could include increasing bird breeding sites by placing nest boxes for birds to build their nests, or increasing an animal’s chances of surviving by reducing other threats, such as by stopping hunting or deforestation.

How Can You Help?

People can do lots of things in their day-to-day lives to help protect animals from the possible negative impacts of renewable energy. First, if people use less energy, we will not have to build as many wind turbines and solar panels. So, you can save energy at home by turning off lights when you leave a room or unplugging devices when you are not using them. Also, when the sun is shining, open your curtains instead of switching on lamps. In addition, you can walk, bike, or use public transport instead of cars, which will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Litter can hurt animals, so be sure to throw your trash away in the appropriate bin. Respect the wild animals that live around you—learn about them and how to protect them. Finally, share what you learn with your friends and family, so they can help to protect nature, too. Can you think of additional ways to save energy or help nature?

We were motivated to write this article to help young readers understand the challenge of protecting nature while using renewable energy. We need renewable energy to stop climate change, and we also need to take care of animals and the places where they live. Hopefully, with good planning and science, we can think of new ways to power the planet while keeping nature safe. Together, we can build a future where both nature and people thrive.

Glossary

Climate Change: ↑ The long-term change in the Earth’s climate, including changes in temperature, rainfall, and other weather patterns over many years or decades.

Biodiversity Loss: ↑ The variety of life on Earth is declining, and many species are disappearing.

Greenhouse Gases: ↑ Gases that trap the heat of the sun close to the Earth, increasing the temperature of the planet.

Sustainable: ↑ Using resources in a way that does not hurt our planet, and so we do not run out of them in the future.

Renewable Energy: ↑ Energy that comes from natural sources like the sun, wind, and water that can be used over and over again without running out.

Ecosystem: ↑ A place where plants, animals, and people live and interact with non-living things like air, water, and soil.

Mitigation Hierarchy Plan: ↑ A step-by-step plan people can use to take care of nature and reduce environmental impacts when building things.

Conflict of Interest

The author(s) declared that this work was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by HORIZON MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships (Project Number: 101104696, THREATS).

AI Tool Statement

The author(s) declared that generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript. We used AI (ChatGPT) to create the images and to correct the text, but not for writing the article.

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