# Solar fuels and photosynthesis: Impact on the biosphere

Farming's huge land footprint versus fuel from desert mirrors

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_solar_fuels/biosphere/

Farming's huge land footprint versus fuel from desert mirrors What this tab covers Effects on human, animal, plant, fungal and microbial life and on whole ecosystems: in the short term (construction and early years), medium term (operating life) and long term (decommissioning and legacy).

Photosynthesis as practised in farming is the largest human transformation of the biosphere, occupying almost half of habitable land. Artificial solar fuels exist only at laboratory or pilot scale, so their effects are not yet measurable; at scale they would resemble those of concentrated solar plants, plus chemical handling.
 Land used for agriculture 48 million km2 (44% of habitable land)^[6](https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture) Low-emission share of world hydrogen production less than 1% of almost 100 Mt (2024)^[7](https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2025/production-highlights-2) CO2 from jet fuel that solar kerosene targets about 1,027 million tonnes (2019)^[8](https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/researchers-produce-jet-fuel-from-sunlight-co2-and-water/)

#### Effects over time

| Life affected | Short term | Medium term | Long term |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Humans**^[5](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2022.06.012) | Little evidence of effect for artificial routes at present scale. | Farming feeds the world; solar kerosene could cut aviation's CO2 if it reaches scale. | Little evidence of effect. |
| **Animals**^[6](https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture) | Clearing land for crops and pasture removes wildlife habitat. | Livestock occupy 80% of agricultural land; artificial fuel plants in deserts would pose risks similar to CSP towers (concentrated light). | Little evidence of effect for artificial routes. |
| **Plants**^[6](https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture) | Natural vegetation is replaced by crops. | Agriculture covers 44% of habitable land. | Little evidence of effect for artificial routes. |
| **Fungi and soil life**^[6](https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture) | Ploughing and fertiliser change soil microbial communities. | Little evidence of effect for artificial routes. | Little evidence of effect. |
| **Ecosystems**^[6](https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture)^[5](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2022.06.012) | Little evidence of effect for artificial routes. | Agricultural land of 48 million km2 is the main driver of habitat loss. | Artificial fuels could reduce pressure on land compared with biofuels, if they become practical. |

#### How the effects are reduced

For photosynthesis, raising yields on existing farmland and eating less livestock produce reduce land demand (see the Biomass tile). For artificial routes, the main safeguards are siting plants on desert land, avoiding scarce or toxic materials, and drawing carbon from captured CO2 so that the fuels are close to carbon-neutral.

#### Sources

1. [A solar tower fuel plant for the thermochemical production of kerosene from H2O and CO2 (Zoller et al., Joule 6(7), 1606-1616)](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2022.06.012) Cell Press, 2022
2. [Half of the world's habitable land is used for agriculture](https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture) Our World in Data, 2024
3. [Global Hydrogen Review 2025: Production highlights](https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2025/production-highlights-2) International Energy Agency, 2025
4. [Researchers produce jet fuel from sunlight, CO2 and water (citing IEA for 2019 jet fuel emissions)](https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/researchers-produce-jet-fuel-from-sunlight-co2-and-water/) The Chemical Engineer (IChemE), 2022

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_solar_fuels/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_solar_fuels/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_solar_fuels/correlation/index.md)
- [Efficiency](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_solar_fuels/efficiency/index.md)
- [Techniques](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_solar_fuels/techniques/index.md)
- [Resources and labour](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_solar_fuels/resources/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_solar_fuels/links/index.md)