By Bisola Adeyemo
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), says the phasing out of fossil fuels, oil and coal could limit climate change, reduce carbon emissions and shield communities and ecosystems from climate crisis.
The International scientists stated this in a report launched Tuesday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
The report, titled “Phaseout Pathways for Fossil Fuel Production” compiled by the IISD, says that a climate-resilient planet will be realized if rich nations halt oil and gas production by 2034.
The report urged wealthy and the least developed nations alike to embark on rapid phasing out of hydrocarbons including oil and coal to limit carbon emissions.
“To comply with the carbon budget for a 50:50 chance of not exceeding 1.5 degrees centigrade of warming requires deep cuts in the production of all fossil fuels,” says the report.
According to the report, a just and equitable transition to cleaner fuels demanded wealthy, high-carbon emitting economies to reduce hydrocarbons’ consumption by 74 percent by 2030.
The report also says that poorer nations that supply one-ninth of global demand for oil and gas should cut back their production by 14 percent before 2030 while providing them with affordable cleaner alternatives.
The report stresses that a phase-out of fossil fuel production should be gradual and targeted mainly in poorer countries to avoid upsetting their economic and political stability.
Some of the least developed countries like South Sudan, the Republic of the Congo and Gabon, despite being small producers, generate the bulk of their revenue from oil and gas production and require a gradual shift to cleaner sources to avoid economic disruptions, says the report.
It says that 19 major fossil fuel producing countries in the Gulf, Europe and North America with high per capita income from other sources should lead in the transition to renewable energy sources.
The report suggests that a gradual phasing out of coal production and use was imperative to halt further emission of planet-warming gases, protect communities from climatic shocks like wildfires, heatwaves, and water stress.