'Kill birds' claims disguised attack on solar power industry

A recent study published in the journal Science on the impact of China's solar power expansion on bird diversity has triggered a heated discussion. Based on data covering 2,344 county-level areas from 2014 to 2023, the study argues that photovoltaic development was associated with a decline in local bird diversity, mainly because some projects were converting cropland and grassland into developed areas, thereby reducing vegetation.

Although some observers have criticized the report as one that depends heavily on bird-watchers' records, the study deserves attention. No form of human development leaves nature untouched, and solar power is no exception. Almost every modern infrastructure — be it roads, cities, farms, mines and dams — reshapes ecosystems in one way or another. Therefore, it is not whether solar energy development has any adverse ecological effect, but how that effect should be assessed and reduced in a broader balance sheet.

That is where media coverage has fallen short. Some Western media outlets have framed the study in highly negative terms, with one headline saying solar panels in China are "killing" bird diversity. The wording might be eye-catching, but it risks turning a complex governance issue into a simplistic accusation. The study itself does not conclude that solar power is inherently harmful. Nor does it deny the significant role renewable energy plays in mitigating the threat from climate change that has been looming larger.

After all, climate change itself is triggering extreme weather events and destroying habitats, exacerbating global biodiversity loss. By mitigating climate change, the development of solar energy can play an important role in promoting biodiversity conservation.

A balanced assessment will show that China's solar panel boom has made a major contribution to clean energy development, lowered the cost of renewable technologies worldwide and helped reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

In fact, in some arid regions, solar projects have even reversed desertification, and enabled the recovery of vegetation and new models of rural development, showing that the climate and ecological benefits of solar energy development far outweigh its costs.

In discussions on social networking sites in China, many, including industry insiders, have raised questions about the study. They noted, for example, that the bird-watchers' records may reflect uneven observation intensity that deserves professional scrutiny.

That does not mean the concerns raised by the study should be dismissed. On the contrary, green development must be judged not only by installed capacity, but also by planning quality, ecological management and long-term monitoring.

Greater emphasis should be placed on biodiversity assessment in the planning phase, especially in areas with complex habitats, rich bird diversity or important migratory routes. Sensitive habitats and migration corridors should be avoided. More attention should be given to solar projects that do not invade natural spaces, such as rooftop solar, distributed solar and agrivoltaic projects. In large solar farms, ecological restoration should focus on diverse native vegetation rather than replacing complex habitats with single cash crops or monotonous greenery.

The government is already treading cautiously. In late 2024, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment released a draft notification to solicit public opinion on strengthening ecological and environmental protection for land-based wind and photovoltaic power projects.

The document calls for full life-cycle environmental management of such projects while advancing the green and low-carbon energy transition and supporting the country's climate goals of peaking carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and realizing carbon neutrality before 2060. It includes stronger policy and planning-level environmental impact analysis, improved project-level environmental impact assessment, enhanced supervision during and after construction, and ecological restoration after decommissioning.

The green transition in China will not happen overnight. And there will be challenges, including how to ensure biodiversity conservation while developing renewable energy. But the transition to renewable energy is not a choice between climate mitigation and biodiversity protection. Done well, it can and should serve both.