Good morning! Today, we talk about the overlooked side effects of solar and wind power. A new carbon market proposal. And all eyes turn to the Central Bank’s policy meeting.
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Green energy takes an environmental toll, too
One of the selling points of wind and solar power is that these sources are renewable, don’t pollute, and cause no harm to the environment. But the truth may be more complicated.
- A study of deforestation by monitoring platform MapBiomas, published last week, found that in 2022 there were at least 69 deforestation alerts in areas where wind farms are located â and 23 in areas occupied by solar plants.
Oxymoron. The total area deforested in 2022 was equivalent to over 7,600 football fields. The previous year, almost 10,200 football fields of native vegetation were destroyed to accommodate green energy projects.
By the numbers. Deforestation associated with solar and wind farms is dwarfed by forest destruction caused by agriculture and cattle ranching, which account for 96 percent of alerts. But researchers were surprised to...