Governments plan more fossil fuel production despite climate pledges, report says

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT
Associated Press

A United Nations-backed study finds that the major fossil fuel-producing countries still plan to extract more than double the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than would be consistent with the Paris climate accord’s goal for limiting global temperature rise, despite frequent and devastating heat waves, droughts, floods and fire. Released Wednesday, the production gap report states that government plans and projections would lead to an increase in global coal production until 2030, and in global oil and gas production until at least 2050. This conflicts with government commitments under the climate accord. The report examines the disparity between climate goals and fossil fuel extraction plans. The gap has remained largely unchanged since it was first quantified in 2019.