Environmental impacts on marine energy systems: collision risks for marine animals and priority species for monitoring in Brazil

Abstract

The urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to slow global warming is the driving force behind the development of the renewable energy sector. To keep the global temperature rise below 1.5ºC, renewable energy must grow 74% by 2050, which requires an eight-fold increase in the annual growth rate. Brazil has great potential for the development of technologies for the conversion of marine energy from waves and tides, which raises the debate on the possible environmental impacts of these projects. The review seeks to synthesize knowledge about potential collision risks for marine animals, such as mammals, fish and birds, in renewable marine energy (RME) devices, as well as to identify priority species for environmental monitoring along the Brazilian coast.