A clean energy system will require up to twice as much land and up to 10% more water than the existing fossil fuel system – but these needs could be met multiple times over by fixing the agricultural system. That is the conclusion of a new analysis from the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC), published to debunk myths relating to the impact of a clean energy system on nature, land availability and water consumption.

Published today, the analysis states that around 0.4 million square kilometres of habitable land is currently used for fossil fuel extraction and power generation. This could increase to 1.1 million square kilometres with a rapid onshore wind and solar build-out, but, still, this is equivalent to around 1% of the global total.

In comparison, 51 million square kilometres of land that could be inhabited are devoted to agriculture. Climate scientists confirmed in 2019 that agriculture and forestry are the world’s leading causes of deforestation and habitat degradation. The system is still inefficient, too, with more than one-third of food going to waste, but world hunger rates increasing.

The ETC also assessed how the clean energy transition would impact water use. Those against the transition often point to the water needed to mine critical raw materials, and the impact of hydroelectricity on water systems.

The report finds that the total requirement for a clean energy system would account for around 2% of total annual water consumption by humanity – the same percentage currently required for fossil fuel extraction and power generation. Calculations in the report account for the clean energy value chain, from mining to energy generation, distribution and storage.

For context, agriculture currently accounts for around 70% of total annual water consumption. REAd further from the source