Fossil fuel production is twice what the world needs to keep warming below 1.5°C

The news: Despite pledges to tackle the climate crisis, many countries are still planning to dramatically ramp up their production of oil, gas, and coal in the coming decades, according to a UN-backed report.

15 major countries, including the US, India, and China, will produce twice as much oil, gas, and coal in the run-up to 2030 as would be needed to keep warming below 1.5°C, a widely accepted limit if the world is to avoid the worst impacts of climate change (the world has already warmed by 1.1°C since the Industrial Revolution.) 

No change: The first “production gap report” was in 2019 and little has changed since then, the authors warn. The report also found that G20 countries have directed more new funding to fossil fuels than clean energy since the start of the pandemic. (So much for suggestions that the pandemic presented an opportunity for a "clean recovery"!)

A timely warning: In just 10 days, world leaders are set to gather in Glasgow for a major, two-week-long UN climate summit to discuss how to curb emissions. This report shows the discrepancy between their words and their actions. It also highlights the fact that phasing out fossil fuels must be an integral part of the discussions. Indeed, the International Energy Agency recently warned that nations need to immediately stop funding any new fossil fuel projects if they're going to reach net zero emissions by 2050. That means no new approval of any projects beyond what has already been committed. 

A struggle: Despite broad agreement on the need to tackle climate change, many countries are still reluctant to follow through with action, a fact underlined by a recent BBC report which revealed that Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia are among the nations lobbying the UN to downplay the need to transition off fossil fuels. However, public pressure to act on climate change is at an all-time high, as parts of the Earth already become increasingly unlivable. 

21 October 2021

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