Delegates attending the COP17 conference in Ulaanbaatar heard how renewable energy projects are increasingly being designed to support environmental restoration alongside electricity generation.
Examples presented at the conference included former mining land in South Africa being repurposed for renewable energy projects, solar-powered irrigation systems helping farmers in India, and large-scale solar developments in China’s deserts contributing to land rehabilitation.
Head of the Biodiversity and Land Branch at the UN Environment Programme, Julian Blanc, said the rapid expansion of renewable energy will have a significant impact on how land is used globally. “The real question is no longer whether renewable energy is going to expand or not. It is, and the question is whether it expands in ways that leave landscapes, ecosystems and people better off than before,” Blanc said.
According to conference participants, renewable energy infrastructure currently occupies about 500 000 hectares globally, but that figure is expected to grow to around three million hectares by 2032.
The discussions focused on how governments and investors can ensure that renewable energy projects support land restoration rather than contribute to further degradation.
Director of the G20 Global Land Initiative Muralee Thummarukudy said success depends largely on where projects are located and how they are planned. “When you place it at the right location, solar is the solution, not only for energy but also for ecological restoration, but in another situation, that may not be the case,” Thummarukudy said.
Experts stressed that renewable energy developments are not impact-free and can affect vegetation, wildlife and water systems if poorly planned.
Blanc said developers should examine entire landscapes before selecting project sites. “Nothing is impact-free,” Blanc said.
Instead of assessing environmental impacts after sites have been chosen, planners should first evaluate biodiversity, water resources, communities and climate-related risks, Blanc argued.
The conference also highlighted examples where agricultural production and renewable energy generation are operating side by side.
In India, solar panels are being used to power irrigation systems while allowing farmers to continue producing crops on the same land.
Programme Officer at the International Renewable Energy Agency, Gayathri Nair, said the approach has created new income opportunities for farmers by enabling the sale of surplus electricity.
China was also cited as an example of how renewable energy infrastructure can support environmental recovery. Researchers reported that solar projects in desert regions are helping reduce evaporation, stabilise dunes and support vegetation growth.
Despite these successes, delegates stressed there is no universal model for balancing renewable energy expansion with land protection.
The conference heard that local communities must be involved in project planning because traditional knowledge can help identify environmental risks that may not be detected through technical assessments.
–UN/ChannelAfrica–
