There appears to be a disturbing disconnect between the way
governing bodies and businesses address their countries when talking about lowering fossil fuel emissions versus what they actually practice. The 2021 Production Gap Report states that fossil fuels are the “leading cause of global warming,” and The United Nations reports that as of October 2021, emissions are “dangerously out of sync with climate change targets''--but according to the same Production Gap report, governments still plan to produce more than double the amount of annually produced fossil fuels by 2030. The Stockholm Environment Institute reports that governments produce many of these fossil fuels through “issuing exploration licenses and drilling permits, by financing domestic and overseas projects; and by setting ambiguous targets for future production in their national energy plans.” Instead of reducing emissions as promised, they are increasing them. Countries surveyed by the UN plan to produce not only 100 percent more of current fossil fuels by 2030–but 110 percent more. Something has to be done, now, so what are the solutions to this? The Environmental Protection Agency has multiple ideas for businesses to reduce their fossil fuel usage, including: managing and reducing emissions by understanding their greenhouse gas emissions, increasing energy efficiency, and buying renewable energy. In order for Earth to maintain a temperature of 1.5°C, coal, oil, and gas production must decline immediately; not just for the planet’s sake, but for ours, too.
Citations
1. “Fossil fuel production ‘dangerously out of sync’ with climate change targets” United Nations. https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103472
2. Production Gap Report 2019 The UN Environment Programme https://www.unep.org/resources/report/production-gap-report-2021
3. “It’s time to hold governments to task for fossil fuels they permit” Stockholm Environment Institute https://www.sei.org/perspectives/hold-governments-to-task-permit-fossil-fuels/#:~:text=Governments%20also%20routinely%20encourage%20and,for%20future%20production%20in%20their
4. “The Sources and Solutions: Fossil Fuels” United States Environmental Protection Agency https://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/sources-and-solutions-fossil-fuels#:~:text=Buying%20equipment%20that%20uses%20less,Installing%20a%20programmable%20thermostat.