The global plans to promote fossil fuels contradict the 1.5 degree target to limit climate change. This is the conclusion reached by the United Nations Environment Program in a recent report.
The goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, which was agreed at the Paris Climate Agreement in 2015, can hardly be achieved with the planned production volumes of coal, oil and gas. This is the conclusion of the report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and leading research institutes.
According to the report, states’ planned fossil fuel production for 2030 is more than double what would be consistent with the target agreed in the Paris climate agreement. The UN environmental program UNEP regularly publishes reports on gaps in the fight against climate change. The “Production Gap Report” that has now been presented was created in collaboration with universities and think tanks.
Production of coal, oil and gas continues to rise
According to the UN organization, global coal production will continue to rise until 2030. Oil and gas production volumes are expected to continue to rise until at least 2050. “Governments’ plans to expand fossil fuel production undermine the energy transition needed to achieve net-zero emissions, create economic risks and call into question the future of humanity,” said UNEP Director Inger Andersen.
In the 2015 Paris climate agreement, countries around the world committed to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. To achieve this, only a limited amount of climate-damaging greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) is allowed to enter the earth’s atmosphere. Most of these are released when the fuels oil, natural gas and coal are burned.
In total, the report analyzed 20 countries that together produce and consume a large proportion of coal, oil and natural gas. None of these countries have completely committed to restricting production quantities to the extent that would be necessary for the 1.5 degree target – including Germany.
Germany produces a lot of coal and buys a lot of gas
According to the report, Germany is the world’s second largest producer of brown coal and the twelfth largest producer of coal overall. However, it can be assumed that the phase-out of coal-fired power by 2038 at the latest and the government’s target of 80 percent renewable energy by 2030 will have a corresponding impact. However, concluding gas supply contracts and building LNG terminals indirectly promote international gas production because they signal long-term demand, according to UNEP.
A representative of the Climate Action Network, which brings together more than 1,900 climate protection organizations in around 130 countries, spoke in a reaction of “blatant hypocrisy” from states that presented themselves as climate pioneers but at the same time aggravated the crisis themselves.
The report is also likely to be explosive in light of the upcoming UN climate conference in Dubai, which begins on November 30th. The EU wants to demand an exit from fossil fuels by 2050.