Open AccessBiodiversity Loss from Freshwater Use for China’s Electricity Generation
Author(s) -
Yi Jin,
Paul Behrens,
Arnold Tukker,
Laura Scherer
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
environmental science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.851
H-Index - 397
eISSN - 1520-5851
pISSN - 0013-936X
DOI - 10.1021/acs.est.1c07155
Subject(s) - biodiversity , electricity , electricity generation , environmental science , water use , consumption (sociology) , natural resource economics , environmental engineering , environmental protection , ecology , engineering , biology , power (physics) , economics , social science , physics , quantum mechanics , sociology , electrical engineering
Electricity generation has two major, under-investigated impacts on freshwater biodiversity due to its water use: the consumption of freshwater and thermal emissions to freshwater. Here, we analyze the spatiotemporal freshwater biodiversity impacts of China's electric power system and the driving factors for these impacts. We show that between 2008 and 2017, the freshwater consumption of electricity generation peaked in 2013 (13.6 Gm 3 ). Meanwhile, the freshwater consumption factor of China's electricity generation decreased from 3.2 to 2.0 L/kWh. However, due to increasing thermal emissions, the biodiversity loss via freshwater use increased from 1.1 × 10 8 in 2008 to 1.6 × 10 8 PDF m 3 year. The overall biodiversity loss per unit of electricity generation decreased from 3.2 × 10 -5 to 2.5 × 10 -5 PDF m 3 year/kWh. Biodiversity loss from thermal pollution is 60% higher than that driven by water consumption. Electricity transmission results in the shifting of biodiversity impacts across regions. The results show that 15% of total biodiversity loss was embedded in transmission networks. In terms of electrical power system drivers of biodiversity loss, the total generation was the main driving factor of the increase in loss (rather than shifts in generation type, for example). Our results indicate the necessity of assessing the biodiversity impacts of electricity generation and incorporating them into energy system planning.