Activities of Joëlle MÉLIN related to 2019/2158(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the impact on the fishing sector of offshore windfarms and other renewable energy systems
Amendments (13)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Recital A (new)
Recital A (new)
A. whereas it is essential to analyse the lifecycle of energy generation (from assembly of materials, transport, construction and maintenance of infrastructure, through to their disposal) in order to determine precisely the environmental impact of the energy generation in question;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Recital B (new)
Recital B (new)
B. whereas it is essential to take into account the ‘rebound effect’ of any given energy policy, that is to say all the behavioural changes brought about, in this case in fisheries, in order to determine precisely the social and environmental impact of this policy;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Recital C (new)
Recital C (new)
C. whereas offshore wind turbines cause serious disturbance to the marine environment, with the result that fishing activities are also impacted, encouraging in particular overfishing in smaller areas to the detriment of small-scale fishing;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Recital D (new)
Recital D (new)
D. whereas human activities, in particular production, consumption and transport activities, are energy intensive and require, in the absence of profound societal changes, ever greater sustainable sources of energy;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls the EU’s sustainable commitment to achieving its zero-carbon climate target by 2050, as confirmed in the European Green Deal and the recovery plan; stresses that tackling the problem of climate change requires global fossil energy consumption to be reduced by a factor of 2 to 4 as soon as possible and, in developed countries, by a factor of 4 to 12 (that is a reduction of 75% to 92%), and that wind power, which in 2013 replaced 1% of this consumption, continues to provide only marginal room for manoeuvre;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Emphasises that renewableenergy sources such as biomass, fuels of agricultural origin, wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric and nuclear energy is aare key drivers of decarbonisation; recalls that at least 32 % of the EU’s total energy needs should be met by so-called ‘renewable’ energy by 2030;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights that an increase in offshore wind energy production is essential for the clean energy transition; stresses that, as offshore wind capacity currently stands at just 25 GW, the building of offshore wind farms must be accelerated so as to provide up to 450 GW of capacity by 2050; should be subject to a moratorium in each of the Member States — since they have a high carbon footprint: they produce intermittent energy which can ‘put a strain’ on power grids and all too frequently call for the activation of back- up thermal power stations — and that while they can be part of the energy mix to achieve the objectives of the clean energy transition, offshore wind turbines do not represent a credible and sufficiently holistic alternative in order to embody this transition; notes that offshore wind capacity currently stands at just 25 GW, and that this low proportion of electricity generation in the EU is due to the low efficiency and cost-effectiveness of offshore wind farms;
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that the decision to find space for up to 450 GW of offshore wind energy capacity is of the utmost importancepreserving the aesthetic and environmental nature of European coastlines is of the utmost importance; notes that the ambition to provide up to 450 GW of offshore wind energy by 2050 would correspond to the creation of an offshore wind farm of 22.5 km², given that wind farms provide on average 20 GW.h per km²;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Stresses the need to give priority to far-shore wind turbines, over 30 km from the coast, in order to limit their impact on fisheries and landscapes and increase their efficiency; especially since, with semi-floating structures, they are less costly and have a lower impact on posidonia and thus on the marine environment and consequently on fishing;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Highlights that a strong expansion of offshore wind energy production requiwill de facto reduce fishing areas and that this strategy may in the long term lead to conflicts between stakeholders; stresses that an intelligent approach, revised to ensure its coexistence with the activities that already take place in the affected areasthe maintenance of fishing areas and their exploitation by artisanal fisheries, is essential for the proper coexistence with current and future energy production;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Points out that the quantitative growth of wind farms inevitably results in a reduction in or alteration of fishing areas, in particular as a result of the laying of cables connecting wind turbines to the grid and the building of infrastructure; notes, in this connection, that this results in a change and degradation of marine habitats, which may affect fish populations;
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that the displacement of fishing activities can be very harmful to fisheries; stresses, therefore, that the multiple use of sea areaall options must be considered from the outset, and that offshore wind farms must be positioned in a way that takes into account the needs of the fishing sector;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that long-term options for multiple uses of offshore areas must be explored at an earlier stage in order to not to enable the expansion of offshore wind farms while addressingithout first taking account of their impact on fisheries;