Compared to fossil fuels, the use of biomass does not emit additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere Bioenergy is obtained from organic matter by burning solid, liquid, or gaseous fuels. Most bioenergy is obtained through the use of various wood fuels (wood chips, pellets, firewood, etc.), less herbaceous biomass (hay, straw, reeds), biogas, biodiesel, or bioethanol. The main advantages of...

Estonian rivers have a relatively small hydropower potential and much of it is already in use In a hydroelectric power plant, the kinetic energy of the river’s falling or flowing water is converted into electricity. Hydropower is considered a type of so-called green energy because it avoids the consumption of fossil fuels and running water itself is a renewable energy source. However, there are...

As of the end of 2019, wind turbines accounted for slightly more than half of the production capacity of renewable electricity Wind is a renewable natural resource and a wind energy ecosystem service that humanity has been exploiting for thousands of years. The widespread use of wind energy can partly reduce the need to burn fossil fuels and consequently reduce CO 2 emissions. As wind energy is an...

Oil shale, or kukersite, is the most important mineral resource of Estonia, which has been the main source of electricity since 1924, but also a source of environmental problems The oil shale industry has significantly affected the socio-economic and natural environment of the Ida-Viru County for almost a century [1]. Due to oil shale mining and processing and activities related to oil shale...

What is renewable energy? By 2050, Europe should become a climate-neutral continent. In order to achieve that, the Member States of the European Union should also stop producing and consuming fossil fuels in the energy sector and invest more in renewable energy. Renewable energy is a resource (e.g. solar or wind, but also geothermal or wave energy) that is used continuously or that is recovered...

Estonia has an obligation to rehabilitate at least 2,000 ha of cut-over peatlands in the period of 2014–2020 Cut-over peatlands are former peat mining areas and mire areas used for agricultural purposes where economic activity has ceased [1]. Cut-over peatlands can be classified according to their formation and characteristics [2]; two of the most common indicators are the thickness of the peat...

The area affected by drainage may be 20–150% larger than the peat extraction area Before the 1950s, peat was mined by hand from the edges of bogs in Estonia, and the extensive drainage known today was not done – that is why these areas recovered quickly and the impact on biodiversity was small. Since the 1950s, large-scale peat fields have been created as a result of the introduction of milling...

Many former quarries have been successfully reclaimed in Estonia Quarry reclamation means the restoration of post-mining land to forest land, cultivated grassland, or arable land, as well as the creation of a new type of land or landscape (water body, park, recreation area, etc.) [1]. The reclamation of the world’s mining landscapes began in Germany as early as in the eighteenth century [2], but...

17 Natura 2000 nature sites, 6 bird sites, and a large part of the water-dependent habitat types are located on top of the Estonian oil shale deposit In 1996, an Australian study found that underground mining has an impact on water and biodiversity [1]. This impact is smaller than that of surface mining; the changes it causes will be felt over time and will be more concentrated in the area of the...

The landscape created by mining may no longer be suitable for the species that previously existed there; however, it may be suitable for new species Mines are divided into open-cast mines, i.e. quarries, and underground mines. During mining, mineral resources are taken from the earth’s crust for the purpose of using them, and after the mining is completed, the area is rehabilitated [1]. Quarries...