Widespread Resistance Emerges Against Solar Farm Land Use in UK, US, India, Sri Lanka

Solar farm developments across multiple countries are facing significant opposition due to concerns over environmental impact, land use, and local livelihoods. In the UK, Reform UK has threatened to withdraw subsidies for large-scale solar projects, criticizing them for damaging the countryside and imposing financial burdens on families, following government approval of numerous solar farms and granting developers compulsory land acquisition powers. In the US, residents of Catlin, Illinois, are actively pushing back against a proposed 1,400-acre solar farm due to worries about habitat destruction and water supply impacts on their wells. Similarly, in Australia, residents near the planned Merino Solar Farm express dismay at the prospect of having large solar installations near their homes, fearing long-term land use restrictions. In India, the Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham protests the allocation of thousands of acres of fertile agricultural land to solar power companies, viewing it as anti-farmer and harmful to rural livelihoods. Meanwhile, in Sri Lanka, Tamil farmers displaced by civil war are contesting the use of their ancestral lands for a new solar project jointly developed by Sri Lankan and Indian governments, citing lack of compensation and the history of land seizure during the conflict.