In Colorado, my residence, we’re already dwelling with the consequences from local weather change – from file flooding, early snowmelt and unheard-of winter wildfires. These impacts have severe implications for communities in addition to birds within the area like Lark Buntings and Mountain Chickadees. Actually, roughly half of chook species in Colorado are threatened with extinction if we don’t sluggish world temperature rise.
Latest reviews have warned that the consequences of local weather change will proceed to accentuate, and to keep away from the worst impacts we have to rapidly cut back carbon air pollution. Within the U.S., this contains constructing extra wind and photo voltaic vitality infrastructure and growing transmission capability to get that vitality safely and successfully from excessive useful resource areas to inhabitants facilities.
That’s why Audubon launched the Birds and Transmission report in August 2023—and why I joined the group’s clear vitality crew earlier this yr.
Our dedication to advocate for responsibly sited clear vitality and transmission infrastructure is central to reaching our local weather targets. We all know that any infrastructure can pose dangers to birds and there’s no such factor as impact-free vitality growth, however our report shares ways in which builders can simply keep away from, decrease, or offset these impacts.
Listed here are some options for lowering transmission dangers to birds:
- Keep away from excessive conservation worth lands, with particular consideration to migratory pathways, wildlife corridors, and areas vital for species of excessive threat like prairie-chickens.
- Improve current strains or increase inside current rights of method. This alone might meet as much as half of all extra transmission wants.
- Improve line visibility by marking units or illumination with UV lights that birds can readily detect. This technique has been proven to cut back collision charges at Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary in Nebraska.
Investing in significant engagement with communities, particularly from the outset, will assist safe buy-in and cut back the growing pushback that has stalled transmission initiatives. In our report, we have been capable of establish and map precedence areas for birds that coincide with current, deliberate, and potential transmission build-out. That method, Audubon and different stakeholders can strategically engage early and sometimes with builders as initiatives are proposed and reviewed.
It’s clear that to behave on local weather, we have to get transmission initiatives throughout the end line sustainably and on the scale wanted to satisfy the second. Because the build-out continues, Audubon might be a voice for birds and our planet, ensuring that infrastructure contains science-based options so we will construct the grid birds want.