Solar power: Eco-friendly savior or habitat hazard? - Buffalo News

Solar power: Eco-friendly savior or habitat hazard?

The New York Times article published in the Feb. 21 Buffalo News, “Planet needs solar power, but building it imperils nature,” probably stirred strong emotions for those of us concerned about the climate crisis, human health and preserving biodiversity. Humanity needs to move away from burning stuff (coal, oil, methane, wood pellets...). Already, 19% of human deaths occur due to fossil fuel air pollution, and we are on track to make large parts of Earth uninhabitable for ourselves and nature. Yet, while solar energy projects reduce heat-trapping pollution, some also occupy plants’ and animals’ habitats.

That said, framing these projects as competing with nature seems ironic, since humans already needlessly encroach on vast tracts of plant and animal habitat. Consider America’s obsession with lawns; these plots of grass - our largest irrigated crop - are ecological deserts and serve no essential purpose. They cover 2% of U.S. land, four times the area devoted to growing corn. If we truly care about nature, we will convert most lawns to forests, gardens and other natural biomes.

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Moreover, consider animal agriculture. 41% of the contiguous U.S. is used to feed livestock. That’s 800 million acres, roughly the size of India. Meeting people’s nutritional needs using meat is highly costly to the environment, and Americans eat far more meat than is necessary or even beneficial. By skipping meat once a week, we could save about three million acres of land (an area more than twice the size of Delaware).

So, let’s not blame solar projects for threats to nature. Furthermore, let’s protect the Farm Bill, a federal legislative package that supports farmers and forest-owners by promoting conservation practices and healthy forests, set for renewal by September. The bill is at risk of being de-funded, unless we step in. Concerned citizens should ask their members of Congress to support the bill.

Andrew Hartley

Elma