Mining for renewable energy may pose 'biodiversity threat'

Renewable energy is driving a new generation of mining that could threaten global biodiversity if left unchecked, researchers warned on Tuesday, as the imperative to find alternatives to fossil fuels ignites demand for metals and minerals used in green technologies.

The Earth's species are facing grave, interlaced threats from climate change and the large-scale destruction of habitats, with fears that the planet may have already entered a period of so-called mass extinction.

The United Nations' biodiversity panel IPBES last year warned that up to one million species faced the risk of extinction as a result of humanity's insatiable desire for land and materials, while a critical summit on the issue next year will set the agenda for the next decade.

New research has suggested the threat to biodiversity could increase in the future, with more mines to extract raw materials needed in the equipment for wind and solar power generation, as well as in things like batteries and electric cars.

"Mitigating climate change is critical for people and biodiversity alike, and switching from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy is an important part of the solution," study author Laura Sonter, of the University of Queensland, told AFP.

"Doing this will require a lot more mining, and if these mines occur in biodiverse areas containing rare and threatened species, it could have devastating effects."

The study, published in Nature Communications, found that 82 percent of the Earth's land surface potentially affected by mining contains materials needed for renewable energy production.

Researchers mapped the distribution of mines or planned mines and found that many of them were within or near protected areas, or sites identified as future conservation priorities.

They suggest eight percent of mining areas overlap with nationally designated protected areas, seven percent with key biodiversity areas and 16 percent with remaining wilderness, which they said were areas considered important for biodiversity loss.

The study found that nearly 84 percent of planned, pre-operational mines aimed to extract materials needed for renewable energy production, compared with around 73 percent of operational mines.

Researchers said pre-operational mines that will extract materials used in renewables also appear to be more densely packed together than those for other materials, raising concerns that the impact on the environment will be more acute.

The 2015 Paris climate deal urged nations to limit global warming to well below two degrees Celsius (3.6 Farenheit) above pre-industrial temperatures by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and countries are under increasing pressure to demonstrate their commitment to these goals.

Sonter said it was possible to "minimise the potential trade-off" between renewables and biodiversity by identifying the sites and species most at risk and ensuring new mines "don't inadvertently lead to their extinction".

But she said the study had only focused on habitat loss caused by mining, adding that other issues like the release of pollutants into the air and water posed an additional challenge.

Commenting on the research, Nathalie Pettorelli of the Zoological Society of London said it "provides us with a first global picture of potentially sensitive areas".

But she said more research would be needed on other important factors, including the distribution of threatened species and ecosystems, species vulnerability to mining, protected area management effectiveness and metal extraction method.

"We do have relevant knowledge and experience to mitigate the threats to biodiversity associated with a global switch to renewable energy; we also have become better at restoring nature," Pettorelli said.

"A transition to a greener future is about bringing all these elements together, addressing risks but also fully capitalising on new opportunities to build a world where wildlife and people thrive."

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