Lloret Josep, Turiel Antonio, Solé Jordi, Berdalet Elisa, Sabatés Ana, Olivares Alberto, Gili Josep-Maria, Vila-Subirós Josep, Sardá Rafael
Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69, 17003 Girona, Catalonia, Spain.
Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC), Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Sci Total Environ. 2022 Jun 10;824:153803. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153803. Epub 2022 Feb 9.
The need for alternative energy systems like offshore wind power to move towards the Green Deal objectives is undeniable. However, it is also increasingly clear that biodiversity loss and climate change are interconnected issues that must be tackled in unison. In this paper we highlight that offshore wind farms (OWF) in the Mediterranean Sea (MS) pose serious environmental risks to the seabed and the biodiversity of many areas due to the particular ecological and socioeconomic characteristics and vulnerability of this semi-enclosed sea. The MS hosts a high diversity of species and habitats, many of which are threatened. Furthermore, valuable species, habitats, and seascapes for citizens' health and well-being coexist with compounding effects of other economic activities (cruises, maritime transport, tourism activities, fisheries and aquaculture) in a busy space on a narrower continental shelf than in other European seas. We argue that simply importing the OWF models from the northern European seas, which are mostly based on large scale projects, to other seas like the Mediterranean is not straightforward. The risks of implementing these wind farms in the MS have not yet been well evaluated and, considering the Precautionary Principle incorporated into the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive, they should not be ignored. We propose that OWF development in the MS should be excluded from high biodiversity areas containing sensitive and threatened species and habitats, particularly those situated inside or in the vicinity of Marine Protected Areas or areas with valuable seascapes. In the absence of a clearer and comprehensive EU planning of wind farms in the MS, the trade-off between the benefits (climate goals) and risks (environmental and socioeconomic impacts) of OWF could be unbalanced in favor of the risks.
为实现绿色新政目标，像海上风电这样的替代能源系统的必要性是不可否认的。然而，生物多样性丧失和气候变化是相互关联的问题，必须同时加以解决，这一点也日益明显。在本文中，我们强调，由于地中海这一半封闭海域特殊的生态、社会经济特征以及脆弱性，地中海的海上风电场对许多地区的海底和生物多样性构成了严重的环境风险。地中海拥有高度多样的物种和栖息地，其中许多都受到威胁。此外，对公民健康和福祉而言有价值的物种、栖息地和海景，与其他经济活动（游轮、海上运输、旅游活动、渔业和水产养殖）的复合影响，共同存在于一个比其他欧洲海域更狭窄大陆架上的繁忙空间。我们认为，简单地将主要基于大型项目的北欧海域海上风电场模式引入地中海等其他海域并非易事。在地中海实施这些风电场的风险尚未得到充分评估，而且考虑到《海洋战略框架指令》和《海洋空间规划指令》中纳入的预防原则，这些风险不应被忽视。我们建议，地中海海上风电场的开发应排除在包含敏感和受威胁物种及栖息地的高生物多样性区域之外，特别是那些位于海洋保护区内部或附近或具有珍贵海景的区域。在缺乏更清晰、全面的欧盟地中海风电场规划的情况下，海上风电场的收益（气候目标）与风险（环境和社会经济影响）之间的权衡可能会失衡，偏向于风险。
