China's solar expansion policy reduces bird diversity.

Authors

Huiming Zhang, Aixin Zhang, Kai Wu, Yinyin Cai, Shanjun Li, Shouyang Wang, Yueming Lucy Qiu, Shoujun Huang, Thi Thuc Anh Phan

Published in

Science (New York, N.Y.). Volume 393. Issue 6813. Pages 831-836. Aug 20, 2026. Epub Aug 20, 2026.

Abstract

Could the global transition to renewable energy create a green dilemma that pits carbon reduction against biodiversity conservation? This study examined the effect of policies promoting solar photovoltaics on local avian biodiversity using a panel dataset covering 2344 counties in China from 2014 to 2023. Policies that favored photovoltaic expansion led to reductions in bird diversity, disproportionately affecting wealthier and nondesert regions, as well as widespread species. The mechanism operated primarily through land conversion: Cropland and grassland were transformed into developed areas, reducing the diversity of vegetation. Paradoxically, the leaf area index increased, a pattern we term "inferior greening," whereby diverse natural landscapes were replaced by dense but ecologically homogeneous vegetation. We argue that future photovoltaic development should be accompanied by strict biodiversity safeguards, especially in economically developed regions with high habitat complexity.

PMID:
42623453
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 21 Aug 2026.

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