COP26: New online tool to reveal true picture of coal, oil and gas extraction worldwide

A new online tool that will measure the amount of coal, oil and gas being extracted across the globe and evaluate the climate impacts has been unveiled at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

Created by not-for-profit think tank Carbon Tracker Initiative and research and analysis organisation Global Energy Monitor, the Global Registry of Fossil Fuels is the first independent and publicly accessible database of its kind.

As well as quantifying what is being dug up and the associated greenhouse gas emissions, it will show how that fits with the target to restrict global temperature rise to 1.5C.

When burned, fossil fuels produce carbon dioxide and are the biggest driver of climate change.

They are also a major contributor to air pollution, which caus es at least seven million premature deaths each year worldwide.

Oil, gas and coal are responsible for more than 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 per cent of all carbon dioxide produced since the Industrial Revolution.

The database was built to improve transparency and accountability.

Costa Rica and Denmark launched the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance at COP26 - a group of governments committed to setting an end date for oil and gas exploration and extraction - with other signatories including Ireland, France, Greenland, Quebec, Sweden, Wales, New Zealand, Portugal and Italy, but not Scotland

It will enable policymakers and experts to assess whether countries are on track to meet climate commitments and help identify ways to phase out fossil fuels.

It could also encourage investors to cut ties with climate-polluting companies.

Ted Nace, executive director of Global Energy Monitor, said: “The development of this dataset is the first step in a virtuous circle of transparency.

“The more the inventory of carbon in the ground advances, the more useful it will become and the greater the pressure on countries and companies for full transparency.

“In the end, carbon in the ground profoundly affects all of humanity, which means that all of humanity will benefit from understanding its distribution, its ownership, its developmental status and its future trajectory.”

The announcement at COP26 comes just days after more than 40 countries agreed to shift away from coal – although some of the biggest users, including Australia, China, India and the US, did not sign up.

And on the same day that Costa Rica and Denmark launched the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance – a group of governments committed to setting an end date for oil and gas exploration and extraction – with signatories including Ireland, France, Greenland, Quebec, Sweden, Wales, New Zealand, Portugal and Italy, but not Scotland.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.