January 7, 2015

fossil fuels – how much can we afford to extract?

Burning fossil fuels produces CO2. It has long been argued that if we are to limit the effects of climate change, some fossil fuel reserves must stay in the ground. But how much of each fuel; and which locations must remain untapped?

A new study by UCL researchers, published in Nature, measures the fossil fuels we can afford to burn while remaining within the 2°C temperature limit agreed by policymakers, and proposes the quantities and locations of coal, gas and oil that should remain unused. The authors came to the SMC to present their findings.

Speakers:

Dr Christophe McGlade, Research Associate at the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources

Prof Paul Ekins, Professor of Resources and Environmental Policy at the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, and Deputy Director, UK Energy Research Centre