VSThis quantity corresponds to what would be released into the atmosphere if the reserves of oil, gas and coal were completely produced and used, according to this global register.
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The world’s fossil fuel reserves contain the equivalent of 3.5 trillion tonnes of greenhouse gases, which would be released if used and would undermine international climate goals, according to an unpublished inventory published Monday, September 19. This quantity corresponds to what would be released into the atmosphere if oil, gas and coal reserves were fully produced and used, according to a global register created by the British think tank Carbon Tracker and the American NGO Global Energy Monitor.
This is equivalent to “more than all emissions produced since the industrial revolution” and “more than seven times the carbon budget remaining to respect the temperature limit of 1.5°C”, say the authors. This notion of “budget” carbon refers to the amount of CO2 that can be emitted for a given result, in this case the most ambitious goal of the Paris climate agreement.
This register, which contains data on more than 50,000 sites in 89 countries, aims to provide political leaders and civil society with the information needed to manage the gradual exit from these fossil fuels. In particular, it shows that the United States and Russia each have enough fossil fuel reserves to blow up the entire global carbon budget, even if all other countries immediately ceased production. It also identifies the most powerful source of emissions in the world: the Ghawar oil field in Saudi Arabia.
Warming since the industrial era, which has been fueled by fossil fuels, has already reached 1.1°C, leading to a series of disasters. The International Energy Agency (IEA) had suggested last year to give up any new oil or gas project, to accompany a rapid drop in demand and keep global warming under control.