The UN Climate Summit is right at our doorstep. Why is the government still supporting new climate-damaging fossil fuel projects?
The last few days of world leaders meeting at the United Nations Climate Summit in Glasgow are ticking. Although the UK hosted this major event, Our new NEF analysis with Friends of the Earth At least 40 potential fossil fuel projects were found in pipelines in the UK. From new oil fields to coal mines to natural gas deposits, if these projects continue, they can emit a total of 1.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases, almost three times the annual emissions of the entire United Kingdom. As the host of the summit next week, Cop26, The British government expressed hope “Maintain the vitality of 1.5C”, Referring to the ambition of the Paris Agreement to limit the global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial level.But as the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report Landmark report Earlier this year, insisting on the 1.5C limit meant that we could not open any new coal mines or oil and gas fields. The British government hopes that Cop26 will succeed, and is busy promoting its own climate certificates, while asking other countries to improve their climate certificates. But domestic actions could undermine Britain’s climate goals and its claims for climate leadership.
The burning of fossil fuels is a key factor leading to the collapse of the climate. The phasing out of them is an internationally agreed goal, but the United Kingdom and other countries continue to exploit and develop these resources. Our new report Look at some of the most controversial planned projects: the Cambo oil field in the North Sea, the coal mine in West Cumbria, and the Masan oil field in Surrey. The total emissions of these three projects during their entire life cycle may reach 296 million tons of greenhouse gases, which is equivalent to Spain’s annual emissions.
But while these projects are the most compelling, they are just the tip of the iceberg. Below them is a whole line of potential coal, oil and natural gas development projects that will weaken Britain’s climate efforts unless the government changes direction urgently.
In addition to these British projects, the government is still supporting foreign fossil fuel projects. This includes the US$1.15 billion it recently pledged to fund a large-scale natural gas project in Mozambique, one of the countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis. We estimate that during the entire life cycle of the project, this may emit 4.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is equivalent to the annual emissions of the entire African continent.Friends of the Earth Legally challenging The British government decided to support the Mozambique project in the case that was heard in court on December 7.
In their applications, none of these projects take into account the end-use emissions of the coal, oil or natural gas they plan to produce, whether it is burning in steel plants, household boilers, vehicles, or converted into other products such as plastics.Fossil fuel companies argue that these emissions are beyond their control, so just look at their own “When assessing its impact, “upstream” or production emissions. But as our analysis shows, the vast majority of emissions do not occur when fossil fuels are extracted from the ground, but where they are actually used. Take this into consideration. , It’s clear that no new fossil fuel projects are compatible with our climate goals. This is why the government must stop supporting domestic and foreign fossil fuels once and for all, and support poorer countries to do the same, ensuring workers and communities in the process Fair transition.
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