EU renewables compatible with food production, nature protection – and maybe humans

Scotland Europa summary: https://scotlandeuropa.com/alerts/1049

“According to a report by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), published in July, the EU’s onshore wind and solar energy needs can be met without undermining food production, or nature protection efforts. The report found that wind and solar deployed on just 2.2% of the bloc’s land can deliver net zero emissions and a 100% renewables power system by 2040.

The EEB analysis found that across the EU, even when productive agricultural land and high key biodiversity areas are excluded, there remains plenty of space for wind and solar. This means that only a small percentage of EU land is needed for this renewable infrastructure, and the rest can continue to be used for food production, and nature restoration. The report calls for a much closer integration of agriculture, wind and solar on the same land to achieve these goals. This ‘dual use’ approach will ensure that land is used most efficiently, and the remaining land needed for onshore wind and solar could come from agricultural land which meets the definition of ‘high’ or ‘very high’ degradation, meaning it is no longer suitable for agricultural purposes. One criticism of the report, however, is that it does not address how the land can accommodate biomass and biofuel production, alongside farming and nature protection, although it notes that 2.7% of EU land today is used to produce ‘industrial crops’, which includes bioenergy. “

More information on the report available via this link: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/news/eu-renewables-compatible-with-food-production-nature-protection-and-maybe-humans/