A new public database of the world’s fossil fuel reserves revealed that burning identified fossil fuels that are lying underground will result in more greenhouse gas pollution than has been emitted since the start of the industrial revolution, according to CleanTechnica.
Launched last Monday, the database’s official name is The Global Registry of Fossil Fuels, which includes more than 50,000 oil, gas, and coal fields from 89 nations. Furthermore, this accounts for 75% of the global carbon reserves, production, and atmospheric emissions.
Notably, two significant climate discussions taking place at the global level coincide with the launch. One is the start of the climate negotiations at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 13. The second is COP27 in Sharm El Skeikh, which will commence in November.
Carbon Tracker, a nonprofit organization that studies changes in energy consumption and their impact on financial markets, created the database. It was also assisted by Global Energy Monitor, an organization that monitors various global energy projects.
Remarkably, it is accessible to the general public, which is a first for a collection of this scale. Although a lot of the information is accessible in various ways, its collection and accuracy in one free, publicly available source is exceptional.
Additionally, the database will give civil society organizations a way to hold governments accountable for granting permits.
| “Countries like to talk about emissions, they don’t want to talk about fossil fuels,” said Mark Campanale, founder of Carbon Tracker Initiative. “Emissions are from the use of fossil fuels and you can’t do anything about emissions until you’ve actually come to a conclusion about what you’re going to do about fossil fuels.” |
