Because the public should know the whole truth about fossil fuels. We also launched a campaign calling for a ban on fossil fuel advertising unless it comes with a tobacco-style health warning. That’s why, in December of 2019, we lodged a complaint with the UK National Contact Point about BP’s adverts. And it is definitely not just BP – it’s an industry-wide problem. While its advertising focused on clean energy, in reality, more than 96% of BP’s annual expenditure is still on oil and gas. In 2019, BP spent millions on an advertising campaign about its low-carbon energy and cleaner natural gas. What’s the role of fossil fuel companies in the future of our planet?įossil fuel companies remain huge polluters, producing and selling fossil fuel products while scientists say we need a mass switch to renewable energy and efficiency. However, a recent report by the UN Environment Programme shows that globally, we are on track to produce more than double the amount of coal, oil and gas by 2030 than we can burn if we are to limit global warming by 1.5C. In 2015, the world’s governments signed up to the Paris Agreement committing to reduce carbon emissions. The IPCC warns that fossil fuel emissions must be halved within 11 years if global warming is to be limited to 1.5☌ above pre-industrial levels. However, natural gas is still a fossil fuel and accounts for a fifth of the world’s total carbon emissions. Natural gas is often promoted as a cleaner energy source than coal and oil. There have also been a number of oil spills in recent years that have a devastating impact on our ocean’s ecosystem. Oil releases a huge amount of carbon when burned - approximately a third of the world’s total carbon emissions. ![]() This makes it the single largest source of global temperature rise. In 2018, 89% of global CO2 emissions came from fossil fuels and industry.Ĭoal is a fossil fuel, and is the dirtiest of them all, responsible for over 0.3C of the 1C increase in global average temperatures. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has found that emissions from fossil fuels are the dominant cause of global warming. How big is the impact of fossil fuels on climate change and our planet? There are three types of fossil fuel – coal, oil and gas. They are also used to make plastic, steel and a huge range of products. They are non-renewable and currently supply around 80% of the world’s energy. They create carbon-rich deposits that are extracted and burned for energy. Get updates on our work What are fossil fuels?įossil fuels are formed from the decomposition of buried carbon-based organisms that died millions of years ago. ![]() Warming above 1.5☌ risks further sea level rise, extreme weather, biodiversity loss and species extinction, as well as food scarcity, worsening health and poverty for millions of people worldwide. Already the average global temperature has increased by 1C. Greenhouse gases trap heat in our atmosphere, causing global warming. When fossil fuels are burned, they release large amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the air. What is the link between fossil fuels and climate change?
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