World governments plan to produce approximately 110 per cent more coal, gas and oil in 2030 than would be consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C, a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) shows.
Governments from 151 nations have pledged to achieve net-zero emissions, yet current plans would lead to increases in global coal production until 2030 and in global oil and gas production until at least 2050, according to the Production Gap Report 2023.
To ensure a safe and liveable planet, experts say humanity must phase out global coal production and use by 2040, and reduce oil and gas production and use by three-quarters between 2020 and 2050.
About the Production Gap Report
Modelled after the UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report series — and conceived as a complementary analysis — this report conveys the large discrepancy between countries’ planned fossil fuel production and the global production levels consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C and 2°C.