The climate and biodiversity crises are two urgent and deeply interconnected challenges that need to be met swiftly and on a global scale.
As one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, at Ørsted we believe that renewable energy is at the intersection of these challenges. If done right, the energy transition offers unique potential to be a force for good on both fronts – but it must be built responsibly and sustainably. It’s imperative that our green energy solutions contribute to both ecosystem health and deliver positive community benefits – and that we can measure those impacts.
We’re working to create a global biodiversity measurement framework, develop pilot projects that can be scaled worldwide, and invest in strategic innovations to mitigate potential impacts. But we can’t do it alone. We’re advocating to set clear industry standards for what good looks like. We’re eager to collaborate with the new UK government, environmental agencies, NGOs and local communities to create a world that runs entirely on green energy – and has a lasting positive impact on nature and people.
That’s why we’re working with leading actors through global forums like Cop16, the most recent UN convening on Biodiversity, to advocate for policy coherence and to show what the renewable energy sector can do for climate, nature and people.
Building in biodiversity
Restoring biodiversity is one of the most powerful tools we have to fight climate change, after moving to a world free from fossil fuels. Healthy habitats can mitigate climate change and help adapt to its effects.
As the global leader in offshore wind with nearly ten gigawatts of installed capacity and over 30 years of experience, we’ve made tackling the climate crisis our core business. But we want our renewable energy solutions to do more than generate clean, affordable, secure green energy. We’ve set an ambition that all new renewable energy assets we commission from 2030 onwards should have a net-positive biodiversity impact.
This means that we’ll not only avoid, minimise and compensate for any impact on nature during the lifetime of our projects – we’ll also actively help restore and enhance ecosystems.
Developing an impact-measurement framework
Since making that pledge, we’ve been developing methods to make good on our promise. We’re creating frameworks and metrics so that we can measure our actions on the ground and develop ways to deliver progress on a global scale. We don’t have all the answers, but we are committed to finding lasting, scalable, sustainable solutions – and collaboration with local partners, governments and NGOs is key. We’re working with the Biodiversity Consultancy to develop an impact-measurement framework for meaningfully and consistently measuring and reporting biodiversity impacts across projects and markets.
The framework founded in established scientific methodologies is being applied by industry to renewable energy assets on and offshore for the first time. For Ørsted, this framework builds on the robust environmental measurement and monitoring we already do wherever we operate, to sustainably develop renewable energy projects.
It will allow us to measure, track and report delivery of our net-positive 2030 ambition for our projects across the globe and build on the programme of pilot projects we’ve already launched.
Wilder Humber
One exciting project we are currently collaborating on with local experts here in the UK is our Wilder Humber initiative to restore coastal ecosystems in the Humber Estuary.
The Humber Estuary is one of the most important natural features in the UK – especially for the birds and other wildlife that depend on it. But decades of pollution and commercial development have resulted in the severe decline of precious habitats and species, such as sand dunes, salt marsh, seagrass and native oysters.
We’ve teamed up locally with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust to deliver an ecosystem-level programme including restoration of seagrass and saltmarsh and the introduction of half a million native oysters to improve the health and resilience of the estuary’s ecosystem. It’s one of many pilot projects we’re working on around the globe to help inform what methods we can scale in a wide range of ecosystems to deliver on our 2030 ambition and support long-term benefits to nature.
We’re also testing out innovative ways to support warm water coral reefs with our ReCoral project in Taiwan. And we’re exploring the potential of marine rewilding in the Netherlands with our partners ARK Nature. These projects demonstrate the huge range of ideas we’re going to need to explore as offshore wind accelerates globally into new ecosystems and communities.
Leading the way from the UK
The UK has established itself as a world leader in offshore wind. Other markets look to the UK as a template for how things should be done – not just in terms of scale and cost, but also for how to build offshore wind the right way. We have always had a strong focus on building projects sensitively and sustainably. We’ve had to innovate and work closely with other partners, NGOs, scientists, academics and industries to find solutions to some very complex challenges. Working collaboratively together, we can achieve more – faster. We are working with the new UK government to achieve our net-positive biodiversity goals and find solutions that can work for the whole renewable energy sector.
We need government collaboration to set targets, create frameworks and establish regulations that are aligned with our voluntary ambitions. All eyes are on nations like the UK to champion solutions for nature. Together, we can deliver green energy and long-lasting benefits for nature and people.
This article first appeared in our print Spotlight report on Sustainability, first published on 8 November. Read it here.
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