This report addresses the necessary winding down of the world’s production of fossil fuels in order to meet climate goals. Although coal, oil and gas are the central drivers of climate change, they are rarely the subject of international climate policy and negotiations. This report aims to expand that discourse and provide a metric for assessing how far the world is from production levels that are consistent with global climate goals.

Among its key findings are that governments are planning to produce about 50% more fossil fuels by 2030 than would be consistent with a 2 °C pathway, and 120% more than would be consistent with a 1.5 °C pathway. Moving away from fossil fuel production poses both economic and political challenges, but doing so is possible and increasingly necessary to avoid dangerous climate change.

The report was produced by the Stockholm Environment Institute, International Institute for Sustainable Development, Overseas Development Institute, Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research, Climate Analytics and the United Nations Environmental Programme.

Report by the Overseas Development Institute