The energy sector is the single largest source of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, spurring plans the world over to transition the sector away from fossil fuels and toward renewables. While decarbonization plans by some of the world’s top emitters have generally been welcomed, energy experts say decision-makers must take care while designing decarbonization strategies to fully consider the unintended social and ecological consequences of rapidly scaling up renewable infrastructure. “If we think of any major technological change, they always have costs and unintended consequences,” said Stefano Galelli, an associate professor of environmental engineering at Cornell University in the U.S. “The sooner we realize and address them, the more sustainable and equitable the energy transition will be. We have to do it right.” In a new study published in Communications Earth & Environment, Galelli and his colleagues from China and the U.S. evaluate how China’s plans to decarbonize its energy sector by 2060 could have inadvertent but severe impacts on local farmland and transboundary river basins, including the regionally significant Mekong and Salween. The researchers also consider how alternative solutions and new technologies could help minimize the most egregious impacts. “Decarbonizing is essential, we have to do it,” Galelli told Mongabay. “But we must think about trade-offs with the environment now, rather than afterwards. Getting an understanding of what could come in the next 40 years can give us an indication of the least-impactful pathways and give us an opportunity to steer the boat.” The 1,750 MW Jinghong Dam was built…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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