Leaving Coal in the Ground Could Help Limit Climate Change

Leaving coal and other major fossil fuels in the ground could help to limit climate change in the future, according to a new study.

Specifically, a third of oil reserves, half of gas reserves and over 80 percent of current coal reserves should not be used before the year 2050. That is, if we are to prevent global temperatures from rising above 2 degrees Celsius (3.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in the near future - a goal that seems to be dwindling before our eyes.

"Policy makers must realize that their instincts to completely use the fossil fuels within their countries are wholly incompatible with their commitments to the 2 C goal," lead author Dr. Christophe McGlade, at the University College London, said in a statement.

"If they go ahead with developing their own resources," he added, "they must be asked which reserves elsewhere should remain unburnt in order for the carbon budget not to be exceeded."

Though it's not surprising to see how tapping into these unused reserves would be tempting. There are many coal reserves in China, Russia and the United States, along with over 260 thousand million barrels oil reserves in the Middle East. Not to mention that oil is currently being developed in the Arctic.

Companies spent over $670 billion last year in the expansion of fossil fuels, but according to the new model used in this latest study, developers may need to rethink their plans.

"We've now got tangible figures of the quantities and locations of fossil fuels that should remain unused in trying to keep within the 2 C temperature limit," added McGlade.

World leaders and policymakers should take these advices to heart, because a recent IPCC report warned that if swift and drastic actions are not taken soon, climate change will cause irreversible impacts on environments worldwide.

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