Planned rise in fossil fuel production 'puts climate goals at risk'

The big increase in coal, gas and oil extraction planned by governments around the world will put climate goals beyond reach, data has shown.

- Fiona Harvey

Far from reducing fossil fuel reliance, nations are planning higher levels of production for the coming decades than they did in 2023, the last time comparable data was compiled.

This increase goes against the commitments countries have made at UN climate summits to “transition away from fossil fuels” and phase down production, particularly of coal.

If all of the planned new extraction takes place, the world will produce more than double the quantity of fossil fuels in 2030 than would be consistent with holding global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

Emily Ghosh, a programme director at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) in the US, said: “Fossil fuel production should have peaked and started to fall. Every year of delay [to the peak and rapid fall required] significantly increases the pressure [on the climate].”