The fight to combat climate change has been on every country’s mind. One of the ways many countries are fighting back is by switching from carbon dioxide-emitting sources to clean green energy.
While many believe that this clean energy is the way of the future, a new study shows that it puts a large number of species at risk of extinction.
The Threat of Clean Energy
Mining for essential materials that make up green energy like lithium and cobalt, which are key components of solar panels, wind turbines, and electric cars, seems to be doing more harm than good for some species.
While transiting to clean energy can be beneficial to more species (which include human beings like you and me), there is a significant threat to nearly 5,000 species.
4,642 Species at Risk
According to a study (via Interesting Engineering), nearly 4,642 species of vertebrates have been put in danger because of green energy sources.
These species are at risk of extinction because of the mineral extraction worldwide through mining, quarrying, and drilling for oil and gas that has displaced them from their natural habitat.
Activities Affect Biodiversity
Mining activities unfortunately coincide with some of the most valuable biodiversity hotspots. These locations around the world host a wide variety of species and unique habitats.
Many of these species face the problem that their habitats are unique and cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
What Puts the Animals in Danger
The search for clean energy resources is one of many things that are threatening many species. Quarrying for limestone, which construction materials like cement require in large quantities, also puts a significant number of species in danger.
Threats extend beyond the locations where quarrying and mining occur.
Taking Out Homes
“The need for limestone as a core component of construction activity also poses a real risk to wildlife,” said Leuan Lamb in the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences, first author of the report.
“Lots of species are very restricted in where they live because they’re specialized to live on limestone. A cement mine can literally take out an entire hillside—and with it these species’ homes,” they added.
The Problem Expands
The physical location of the mine might be a lost habitat for these species, but the pollution that comes from quarrying, drilling, and mining can pose a threat to the nearby ecosystem.
For example, runoff from the worksites or the deforestation for new access roads and infrastructure to support the worksite can displace many species, leaving them with few resources to survive.
The Need for a Solution
The researchers behind the study believe that governments and the mining industry will need to meet to discuss a plan of action to protect the ecosystem while looking for valuable resources that can help with the climate change mission.
Reducing the pollution caused by mining could be an “easy win” for everyone if the focus is on minimizing biodiversity loss.
Impacting the Climate
“We simply won’t be able to deliver the clean energy we need to reduce our climate impact without mining for the materials we need, and that creates a problem because we’re mining in locations that often have very high levels of biodiversity,” said Professor David Edwards.
Edwards is the senior author of the report, and works in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Plant Sciences and Conservation Research Institute, senior author of the report.
The Animals Most at Risk
Among all the vertebrate species that are at risk, fish are facing a particularly high risk from mining.
The study found that mining, quarrying, and drilling affect nearly 2,053 species. Fish, hundreds of reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals are all at risk.
Transition to Protect Biodiversity
“So many species, particularly fish, are being put at risk through the pollution caused by mining,” Edwards said.
He continued: “It would be an easy win to work on reducing this freshwater pollution so we can still get the products we need for the clean energy transition, but in a way that isn’t causing so much biodiversity loss.”
Is There a Solution?
Global demand for metal minerals, fossil fuels, and construction materials is growing dramatically. This means that the excretion industry is expanding quickly to meet this demand.
Unfortunately, this puts more and more animals at risk as the industry continues to grow. How far will people allow this problem to expand before they take action?
