The development of wind energy is driving up demand for open land beyond earlier estimates, surpassing that used for oil and gas extraction in the U.S.
Any energy infrastructure development creates noise pollution and harms wildlife. Large wind farms take over some wildlife habitats. In addition, wind energy development raises surface temperatures in its immediate vicinity, while its offset of carbon-energy emissions accumulates over time and is measured globally.
"Wind beats coal by any environmental measure, but that doesn't mean that its impacts are negligible," said a Harvard researcher who was part of the team calculating these impacts for a 2018 paper.