Revealed: wealthy western countries lead in global oil and gas expansion

The US and the UK among countries with low dependence on fossil fuels criticized for hypocrisy' on climate pledges

• Inexcusable': should climate hypocrites get the petrostates label?
• The US's quiet rise to the world's biggest fossil fuel state

A surge in new oil and gas exploration in 2024 threatens to unleash nearly 12bn tonnes of planet-heating emissions, with the world's wealthiest countries - such as the US and the UK - leading a stampede of fossil fuel expansion in spite of their climate commitments, new data shared exclusively with the Guardian reveals.

The new oil and gas field licences forecast to be awarded across the world this year are on track to generate the highest level of emissions since those issued in 2018, as heatwaves, wildfires, drought and floods cause death and destruction globally, according to analysis of industry data by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).