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The Fossil Fuel Industry Continues Producing Heat-Trapping Emissions that Drive Climate Change

Union of Concerned Scientists

A new dataset released by InfluenceMap provides information on heat-trapping emissions traced to the 122 largest investor and state-owned fossil fuel companies in the world. Fossil fuels are the main driver of climate change and the terrifying effects of it that we see happening across the world.

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We Need an Agreement to Phase out Fossil Fuels at COP28

Union of Concerned Scientists

It’s not just the poor air quality, long lines, and excessive fossil fuel company representation ; nations are still too far apart in their positions on a fossil fuel phaseout, the top priority for this COP. Yet global fossil fuel production and use continue to expand. Particulate matter (PM2.5)

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Progress Possible at COP 28 Despite Fossil Fuel Industry Deception

Union of Concerned Scientists

Last week, I joined my colleagues at COP28 in Dubai , as negotiators and civil society push for a fossil fuel phaseout to meet climate goals. The industry is pushing a narrative that misleadingly calls out emissions , not fossil fuels as the problem. Source: IPCC Sixth Assessment Report.

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COP28 Global Methane Pledge Efforts Still Not Enough

Union of Concerned Scientists

The pledge is a voluntary agreement to reduce global methane emissions by 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030; however, methane levels keep going up and we are woefully off track for meeting this goal. Methane gas has devastating effects on the climate system and its extraction and combustion generate numerous harms to human health.

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Good News—and Bad—about Fossil Fuel Power Plants in 2023 

Union of Concerned Scientists

And fossil fuel power plants may not stick to their retirement schedules for a variety of reasons. The bottom line: There’s still a long way to go, and the clean energy transition must move quicker than it has been—despite the fossil fuel industry’s self-serving claims to the contrary. A bit more on those reasons later.

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Ask a Scientist: The US Has to Do More to Meet Its Carbon Emissions Reduction Goals

Union of Concerned Scientists

Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, the United States voluntarily pledged to reduce its global warming emissions at least 50 percent below their 2005 levels by the end of this decade and reach net-zero emissions no later than 2050. It also will save US consumers money because they will spend less on fossil fuels.

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Navigating Net Zero Via the Law  

Union of Concerned Scientists

Last year’s UN climate talks, while criticized for certain shortcomings , brought into sharp focus the need for robust legal frameworks to transition from fossil fuels. The UAE Consensus , while a leap forward , left many wondering: How do nations bridge the lofty ambitions of international agreements with real-world action?