Planned fossil fuel output ‘vastly exceeds’ climate limits, says UN

Despite pledges of action from many nations, almost none have policies to wind down production, report says

Fossil fuel production planned by the world's governments vastly exceeds" the limit needed to keep the rise in global heating to 1.5C and avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis, a UN report has found.

Despite increasing pledges of action from many nations, governments have not yet made plans to wind down fossil fuel production, the report said. The gap between planned extraction of coal, oil and gas and safe limits remains as large as in 2019, when the UN first reported on the issue. The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, called the disparity stark".