Purpose The global capacity of offshore wind energy is rapidly expanding, with the North Sea leading this growth. However, this region also hosts some of the world’s oldest offshore wind farms, requiring decommissioning in the coming years. Apart from their benefits for energy generation, constructing and decommissioning offshore wind farms physically affect the marine ecosystem. This study aims to develop characterization fac...

Purpose Life cycle assessment (LCA) distinguishes three types of water use: (1) consumptive water use, (2) degradative water use, and (3) in-stream water use. When it comes to assessing the impact of turbine water use (TWU, major source of in-stream water use) in LCA, so far, no method exists to quantify the related environmental impacts. Here, we developed the first midpoint characterization factors (CFs) with global coverage...

Purpose Marine vertebrate populations have halved in the past decades, and invasive species are a major driver for this loss. While many model the spread of invasive species, a model to assess impacts of marine invasions, after introduction, has hitherto been missing. We present the first regionalized effect factors for marine invasions. These factors gauge differences in biodiversity impacts after invasions, enabling life cyc...

The expansion of the electric grid is inevitable. Renewable energy is on the rise, and new transmission lines must be built to link new electricity production facilities with the local network. In addition, higher electricity demand due to electrification will lead to the growth of the distribution grid. However, further construction of power lines will affect the local biodiversity. Birds are especially vulnerable: every year...