Climate experts have unveiled a troubling reality: countries are setting plans to produce twice as much fossil fuel as what is deemed compatible with global climate commitments. The findings come from the 2025 Production Gap Report, a collaborative effort by the Stockholm Environment Institute, Climate Analytics, and the International Institute for Sustainable Development. The report highlights that such reckless expansion endangers the critical goal of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
The analysis focused on 20 major fossil fuel-producing nations, collectively responsible for more than 80 percent of worldwide fossil fuel output. These countries are not only planning to ramp up coal production until 2035 but are also set to increase oil and gas production until 2050. As the production gears up, it poses significant health risks and environmental burdens on nearby communities, many of which are already grappling with the adverse effects of fossil fuel operations.
Fossil fuel production has been linked to a range of health issues, impacting individuals from the womb and into old age, with consequences including heart disease, stroke, and even dementia. The report underscores that the United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are among the nations keen on boosting their fossil fuel production despite a global shift towards cleaner energy sources. The U.S. has notably postponed the closure of coal plants while simultaneously expanding oil and gas operations, even as global demand for these resources is projected to peak before 2030.
Human Rights Watch’s January 2024 report sheds light on the grim reality for Black and low-income communities in Louisiana, which are situated near approximately 200 petrochemical and fossil fuel operations. These communities are facing heightened risks of cancer, respiratory issues, and reproductive health complications. Similarly, a December 2023 study from Human Rights Watch revealed that fossil fuel activities in the UAE have led to alarmingly high levels of air pollution, posing serious health threats to its citizens and residents.
The report further reveals that planned coal production for 2030 has increased by 7 percent compared to projections made just two years ago. Toxic air pollutants emitted from coal production have dire health implications, as evidenced by reports from Human Rights Watch detailing the detrimental effects in countries like Türkiye and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where coal emissions have exacerbated respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
The collective failure of governments to align their energy production plans with the urgent need to combat climate change underscores a critical juncture in the global fight for a sustainable future. To achieve net-zero emissions by the target date of 2050, future fossil fuel production must be drastically curtailed. Governments are urged to heed this alarming warning and the overwhelming evidence of health repercussions, committing unequivocally to phasing out fossil fuels and fulfilling their climate commitments.
