Expert Comment: Just stop oil is easy to shout but it cannot just happen – and not ‘justly’
Professor Myles Allen, Professor of Geosystem Science at the University comments in the Independent on 2nd December 2023.
After all the “last chances” to keep 1.5 alive, you would be forgiven for thinking the Paris aspiration must surely be dead by now. But the reality is, as COP28 takes place, the end of fossil-fuel-driven global warming is in sight – but only if, in the words of COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, we are “laser focused on phasing out fossil fuel emissions”.
‘Just Stop Oil’ is easy to shout, but it cannot just happen, it cannot happen soon, and, crucially, it cannot happen soon justly.
Phase out ‘unabated’ fossil fuels” is less catchy than “phase out fossil fuels” but it could be done and, crucially, it could be done in time to keep 1.5 alive. But it is only useful if ‘abated’ fossil fuels is defined consistent with the physics of climate change and the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Read more here.