The twenty-first century will see a change around the world as landscapes become increasingly used to capture energy. The main driver will be price. When subsidies for animal grain feed become unsustainable, the cost of meat production will become uncompetitive when compared with the capture of energy.

We see some of this already with wind farms and increasingly in solar PV (photo voltaic cells) in the USA as well as the UK.

This range will grow, especially in warmer countries, where we may see thermal capture being used to manufacture transportable fuels to be sold to cities around the world. If the transport issues can be sorted this may include the manufacturing and export of hydrogen fuels.

The world’s landscape has changed before: the reduction in tree cover by early humans, through to the enclosure of common land into agricultural production. This century will see the next phase of landscape transformation worldwide.