On 10 December 2026, GINGR and the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) will host the fourth and final webinar of the Connecting Energy, Nature & People series. The webinar will explore how ecosystem services, equity and fairness can be better integrated into electricity grid planning and development to support a sustainable energy transition.
The expansion and reinforcement of electricity grids is essential to the energy transition. At the same time, transmission infrastructure can have a significant impact on landscapes, ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. Fundamental needs, from food and water provision to well-being and sense of place, can be impacted by infrastructure development. While some communities benefit, others experience changes in access to, or advantages from, the landscapes and ecosystems around them.
So what can be done to ensure a fairer process that distributes impacts evenly?
Bringing together perspectives from the energy, conservation and social dimensions of infrastructure development, we’ll explore this question as it relates to the infrastructure lifecycle, from early planning and route selection through to decommissioning. The discussion will examine whose values are reflected in decision-making, how ecosystem service impacts and benefits can be identified and assessed, and how Nature-Positive and Community-Positive approaches can be better connected in grid planning.
Speakers:
- Adrián Maté, Environmental Coordinator – GINGR, Renewables Grid Initiative
- Erin Baker, Distinguished Professor of Engineering at University of Massachusetts Amherst
The webinar will also introduce Knowledge Layer 4 of the GINGR methodology. Building on the ecological and social evidence established in the preceding layers, it examines factors such as rights, livelihoods, social vulnerability, energy access and affordability, institutional capacity, dependence on ecosystem services, and different groups’ ability to benefit from available opportunities.
For more on how GINGR is developing methodologies and indicators for Nature-Positive and Community-Positive outcomes in renewable energy and grid infrastructure, we warmly invite you to get in touch: info@gingr.org