Mining isn’t the only way the renewable energy revolution is affecting landscapes, in the desert and elsewhere. The result is what some activists describe as a renewable energy land rush putting rare species and untouched desert ecosystems at risk. “But there’s a potential renewable energy extinction crisis going on in Nevada, and these little creatures and plants are at the forefront.”He says that while ecosystems have long faced threats from activities such as cattle grazing or gold mining, renewable energy expansion is the latest growing threat. “The reasons for applications outside of solar energy zones are varied,” says Heidi Hartmann, an expert on energy policy who works with Walston at Argonne. Tale of two crisesNot all environmentalists see the expansion of renewable energy as a major threat to biodiversity.

Source: Sunday Observer June 04, 2022 18:47 UTC