UN: Promotion plans contradict 1.5 degree target
The planned global production volumes of coal, oil and gas continue to significantly exceed the level required to mitigate climate change.
According to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and leading research institutes, the production planned by countries for 2030 is more than double (110 percent more) what would be compatible with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius agreed in the Paris Climate Agreement. More and more coal will be produced worldwide until 2030. Oil and gas production is expected to continue to rise until at least 2050. The UN World Climate Conference begins in Dubai on November 30.
Criticism from the UNEP Director
"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," criticized UNEP Director Inger Andersen. In a reaction, a representative of the Climate Action Network, which brings together more than 1900 climate protection organizations in around 130 countries, spoke of "blatant hypocrisy" on the part of countries that present themselves as climate pioneers but at the same time exacerbate the crisis themselves.
In the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, countries around the world committed to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels if possible. To achieve this, only a limited amount of climate-damaging greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) may be released into the earth's atmosphere. Most of these are released when oil, natural gas and coal are burned.
Findings of the report
The report shows that none of the 20 countries analyzed - including Germany - which together produce and consume a large proportion of coal, oil and natural gas, have fully committed to limiting production volumes to the level required to achieve the 1.5 degree target. Many countries are relying on gas as a bridging technology without having concrete plans for the phase-out. Technologies for storing or removing CO2 from the air are too uncertain to rely on their use.
Germany, which is reportedly the world's second-largest producer of lignite and twelfth-largest producer of coal overall, has not set any targets for reducing production in its coal phase-out. 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% renewable energies by 2030 will have a corresponding impact. The conclusion of supply contracts for gas and the construction of LNG terminals, on the other hand, indirectly promote international gas production because they signal long-term demand.
- Despite the UN's promotion of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the planned production volumes of coal, oil, and gas exceed the required level by 110%, threatening to exacerbate climate change.
- The UN World Climate Conference, starting on November 30, serves as a platform to discuss these contradicting plans and the need for a shift towards cleaner energy sources, away from fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal.
- The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and other leading research institutions have criticized countries' plans to expand fossil fuel production, calling it a hypocritical approach that contradicts the commitments made in the Paris Climate Agreement and poses economic risks for the future.
Source: www.dpa.com
