At COP26, for the first time, countries set the end of their oil and gas production – archyworldys

For the first time, a COP is tackling fossil fuels head-on, which are primarily responsible for climate change. With coal, first of all, since last week, around twenty countries have pledged to get out of this most polluting energy in the 2030s and 2040s. But also in oil and gas, a step still rarely taken.

Thursday November 11, at the 26^e United Nations climate conference (COP26), held in Glasgow (Scotland), eight countries have committed to no longer grant new concessions and licenses for the production and exploration of oil and gas – with immediate effect . The “Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance” (BOGA) coalition launched by Costa Rica and Denmark – Europe’s largest oil producer – also brings together France, Greenland, Ireland, Wales, Quebec and Sweden. .

They also decided to set a date for the end of exploitation and exploration – for licenses already in progress – for hydrocarbons in their territory. This date, which has not yet been determined, must be “Aligned with the Paris agreement”, which aims to contain global warming if possible to 1.5 ° C compared to the pre-industrial era. Some of the BOGA members had previously set an exit date for hydrocarbons, in 2040 in France or in 2050 in Denmark.

” A radical change “

New Zealand and California have also joined the coalition as associate members as they “Have taken important concrete steps that contribute to the reduction of oil and gas production”, says the press release. New Zealand decided in 2018 to ban all new offshore oil exploration permits, while California, a major oil producer, will ban hydraulic fracturing (which extracts oil and gas from shale) in 2024 and cease any hydrocarbon exploitation by 2045.

This alliance does not include the major oil and gas producing countries, such as the United States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Iraq or Norway. “But it is a very important coalition because if the end of coal is already in people’s minds, conversely it is the first time that we have asked the question of the end of oil and gas, which will lead to huge challenges, especially in transport ”, judge Lola Vallejo, climate director at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations. “This is a turning point as climate negotiations have ignored the issue of fossil fuels for thirty years”, confirms Romain Ioualalen, campaign manager at the NGO Oil Change International.

You have 62.78% of this article to read. The rest is for subscribers only.