From coal mines to oil reserves, a new report released Monday by a group of leading environmental organizations outlines the world’s biggest carbon threats in an era of runaway warming—and the ongoing efforts to keep those fossil fuels in the ground.
The report, compiled by Greenpeace, Sierra Club, and 350.org, examines the carbon risk of deposits throughout the globe that, if developed, would push the world past the agreed-upon 2°C climate threshold.
Released just months after world leaders signed a climate pact at the COP21 negotiations in Paris—and just days after scientists declared 2015 the “hottest year on record“—the report issues an urgent call to stand up to powerful fossil fuel interests and prevent environmental catastrophe.
“With the historic climate accord set in Paris last year, nearly 200 nations from around the world set an expiration date for fossil fuels,” said Lena Moffitt, director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign. “Now we must rise to the occasion by transitioning to 100 percent clean and renewable energy sources, and leave dirty fuels where they belong—in the ground.”