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The energy sector - the burning of coal, natural gas and oil for electricity and heat - is the largest single source of global greenhouse gas emissions, and is responsible for over a quarter of all EU greenhouse gas emissions. Energy transmission infrastructure also generally leads to fragmentation of natural habitats, ecosystem destruction and depletion of ecosystem services. Green Infrastructure can play a role in reducing the negative impacts of the energy sector, by: (1) reducing energy consumption; (2) providing bioenergy; and (3) providing carbon uptake and storage (climate change mitigation).
These negative impacts can be mitigated by creating or restoring Green Infrastructure. For example, urban green areas such as urban parks, and tree-lined streets can play a role in reducing an area’s overall energy demand and thus contribute to the moderation of the ‘urban heat island’ effect. Trees, green roofs, and other Green Infrastructure features can cool urban areas by shading building surfaces, deflecting radiation from the sun, and releasing moisture into the atmosphere.
Investments in Green Infrastructure can also contribute to meeting the objectives set in the EU Climate and Energy Package, i.e., raising the share of EU energy consumption produced from renewable resources to 20% and a 20% improvement in the EU’s energy efficiency. The Member States’ National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs) have shown that bioenergy is expected to make up over 50% of total renewable energy use by 2020. Green Infrastructure networks can provide biomass derived from trees and plants that can be used for heating and electricity generation. While increasing the use of solid biomass for renewable energy initiatives can help diversify the energy supply, special efforts, e.g., reforestation and sustainable forest management, should be made to avoid adverse effects on biodiversity and ecosystems.
Green Infrastructure vegetation also helps reduce the amount of atmospheric CO2 through direct carbon sequestration, where carbon dioxide is captured and removed from the atmosphere via photosynthesis and other natural processes.
Green Infrastructure can both capture and store carbon from the atmosphere, and provide biofuel, when it is managed in a way as to provide biomass (mowing, pruning, logging). There is a continuum between pure carbon sequestration by unmanaged ecosystems and pure energy crops. If energy crops are to be regarded as Green Infrastructure, they must provide a net gain to the site-based biodiversity and the delivery of multiple ecosystem services. It depends on the species selected (indigenous or not) and the harvest cycle whether that is the case.
