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Table of Contents
The fossil fuel industry has powered humans into a world of incredible technology and feats that our ancestors could never have imagined, however this has come with devastating costs which now threaten our water security, food security, climate stability, and much more.
The good news is that humans have been exploring and improving on alternative energy sources as well as new forms of energy storage to help increase the efficiency and versatility of these green energy types.
Humanity is now in the scaling-up phase with these technologies, even as we continue to discover and invent yet more alternatives. Some countries are phasing out ICE vehicles as their car markets fill up with hybrids, electrics, and hydrogen vehicles. Some countries and islands have already shifted mostly to renewables, with a couple already hitting 100% renewable energy use at least one day per year, but these stats are improving as adoption of alternative energy options continues to grow.
"Oil and gas accounts for an estimated 20 to 25 percent of anthropogenic methane. [This article] suggests that the sector could achieve a 40 percent reduction in sectoral emissions by 2030 and a 73 percent reduction by 2050. The oil and gas industry emits “fugitive methane” through venting, leaks, and incomplete combustion during flaring." - McKinsey Sustainability
"Methane from human activity is emitted by five key industries: oil and gas, coal, agriculture, solid waste, and waste water."
Global methane from human activities, % share. 100% = 380 metric megatons of methane per year.
"Other" includes industry and vehicle transport emissions.
There are different types of plastic with different physical properties depending on their exact chemical makeup. These have been considered a wonderful invention, because they are generally much lighter in weight than glass, metal, or wooden containers, which they quickly replaced. Humanity enjoyed their longevity, but we are now learning that they can persist in our environment for hundreds of years and produce microplastics which get into animal and human bodies, where these fragments and their toxins do serious, or even deadly damage.
Plastics act like a sponge for dangerous chemicals and even viruses, then release them on beaches and inside organisms including ourselves. Plastics affect everything from water quality to the health of our soil. They persist in every trophic level from tiny worms and crustaceans, then they bioaccumulate as predators consume more and more contaminated prey, with animals such as seabirds being some of the most at-risk victims of this particular type of pollution. When humans consume predatory animals such as tuna or other popular fish, we increase the amount of microplastics entering our blood stream and lodging in organs including our brains and livers. Doctors and scientists are only now beginning to study the effects of this process on human health and life expectancy.
The fossil fuel industry is only as profitable to shareholders and CEOs because of the trillions they recieve in welfare handouts from govornments around the world. The idea behind this was to "help the little guy" by making energy cheap enough for businesses to boom, but as we've seen this has had a majorly negative impact a
En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator "is a fast, powerful climate solutions scenario tool for understanding how we can achieve our climate goals through changes in energy, land use, consumption, agriculture, and other policies. The simulator focuses on how changes in global GDP, energy efficiency, technological innovation, and carbon price influence carbon emissions, global temperature, and other factors. It is designed to provide a synthesis of the best available science on climate solutions and put it at the fingertips of groups in policy workshops and roleplaying games. These experiences enable people to explore the long-term climate impacts of global policy and investment decisions.
En-ROADS is being developed by Climate Interactive, Ventana Systems, UML Climate Change Initiative, and MIT Sloan.
This guide provides background on the dynamics of En-ROADS, tips for using the simulator, general descriptions, real-world examples, slider settings, and model structure notes for the different sliders in En-ROADS."
Global Energy Monitor "Building an open guide to the world’s energy system."
Fossil Fuel Finance Hub: Fossil Fuel Infrastructure "There are a bunch of great tools to research current and planned oil, gas and coal projects" (includes some of the following):
Coal Exit List Look up individual companies or find out which companies are developing new coal projects. You can also filter the database by using our expansion, relative and absolute criteria.
Global Energy Monitor "Building an open guide to the world’s energy system."
Global Oil & Gas Exit List "is the most comprehensive publicly available database on the oil & gas industry. GOGEL 2023 covers 1,623 companies active in the upstream, midstream or gas-fired power sector. Companies listed on GOGEL account for 95% of global oil and gas production. It is tailored to the needs of financial institutions looking to phase out fossil fuels. GOGEL's forward-looking data on companies’ expansion plans makes it easy to assess the credibility of transition strategies and enables its users to take the right steps to become responsible climate actors."
LNG Tanker Tracker "A map to explore the LNG Tankers arriving and departing operational LNG export terminals in the U.S."
Oil & Gas Watch "to give the public access to information about the rapid expansion of the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries in the United States."
Portal Energético para América Latina "GEM’s Latin America Energy Portal offers a region-wide perspective on energy infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean, through interactive maps and thousands of wiki pages. The Portal synthesizes GEM’s research on nearly 5,000 projects throughout the region, including coal- and gas-fired power plants, oil and gas pipelines, oil and gas extraction sites, LNG terminals, solar farms, wind farms, coal terminals, coal mines and steel plants that meet a predetermined size threshold. Additional resources include country energy profiles, statistical data, reports, and links to organizations working towards a sustainable energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean. ...
To learn about the various components of each GEM tracker, read About GEM’s Trackers. To receive notifications on this project, please sign up for our mailing list. If you have questions about this project, please contact the Project Manager, Gregor Clark."
Texas
Commission Shift: Report Portal "will forward your complaint to the Railroad Commission, but only Commission Shift will have your identifying information. We will not share it with anyone."
Portal Energético para América Latina "GEM’s Latin America Energy Portal offers a region-wide perspective on energy infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean, through interactive maps and thousands of wiki pages. The Portal synthesizes GEM’s research on nearly 5,000 projects throughout the region, including coal- and gas-fired power plants, oil and gas pipelines, oil and gas extraction sites, LNG terminals, solar farms, wind farms, coal terminals, coal mines and steel plants that meet a predetermined size threshold. Additional resources include country energy profiles, statistical data, reports, and links to organizations working towards a sustainable energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean. ...
To learn about the various components of each GEM tracker, read About GEM’s Trackers. To receive notifications on this project, please sign up for our mailing list. If you have questions about this project, please contact the Project Manager, Gregor Clark."
Climate Analytics "is a global climate science and policy institute engaged around the world in driving and supporting climate action aligned to the 1.5°C warming limit.
We connect science and policy to empower vulnerable countries in international climate negotiations and inform national planning with targeted research, analysis and support.
Our international team of 130 experts and support staff work from our headquarters in Berlin and our regional offices in Africa, Australia and the Pacific, the Caribbean, North America and South Asia."
Climate Defenders "is a multigenerational and multiracial action home rising up against the oil industry destroying our planet and our communities.
For generations, oil CEOs and the bank executives that finance them have prioritized profits over the well-being of our planet and its people. They pollute our air, poison our water, and dump toxins into our neighborhoods.
As Climate Defenders, we are fighting to end the fossil fuel industry and build a new future with good jobs, clean water, safe air, and a better future for our families. Join us!"
Fossil Free Citi 💹 "campaigns against Citibank, which is the second largest funder of fossil fuels in the world. Using research from the climate movement, campaigners uncovered that the bank has poured over $332 billion into coal, oil and gas since 2016, including $8.67 billion to companies developing fossil gas (LNG) projects globally and $1.78 billion to ConocoPhillips, the company behind the Willow oil drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope. Armed with this research, the campaign mobilizes grassroots organizers to pressure Citi to stop financing fossil fuel expansion and environmental racism, phase out financing for all fossil fuels, respect human rights, and massively scale up its investments in renewables and proven climate solutions."
Private Inequity "is a global network of academics, investors, grassroots organizers, NGOs, climate activists and frontline communities working together to get private equity firms to stop investing in projects that drive climate change, perpetuate environmental racism, violate Indigenous rights, and cause harm to workers, neighborhoods, and local economies."
Vanguard S.O.S. 💹 "is a global campaigning network of civil society organizations, social movements, and financial experts working to push Vanguard to shift its funds out of fossil fuels and move toward truly sustainable and responsible investing.
Vanguard is one of the largest asset managers in the world, and currently the world’s top investor in fossil fuels. It is one of the largest shareholders in nearly every public company in the U.S., giving it immense economic power. Instead of using this power to tip the world further towards climate catastrophe, we’re pressuring the company to use its influence for good and accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels."
Beyond Fossil Fuels "Our vision is of a fair and sustainable, renewables-based European electricity sector that is predominantly powered by wind and solar energy, and free of fossil fuels by 2035. It will supply a nature-friendly energy system that minimises waste, and maximises efficiency through the electrification of heating, industry and transport, the insulation of buildings and the delivery of power via smart technology, providing permanently clean and affordable energy for generations to come."
Anthropocene Alliance (A2) "has almost 300 member-communities in 41 U.S. states and territories. They are impacted by flooding, toxic waste, wildfires, and drought and heat — all compounded by reckless development and climate change. The consequence is broken lives and a ravaged environment.
The goal of A2 is to help communities fight back. We do that by providing them organizing support, scientific and technical guidance, and better access to foundation and government funding. Most of all, our work consists of listening to our frontline leaders. Their experience, research, and solidarity guide everything we do, and offer a path toward environmental and social justice.
Supported by outstanding partner organizations with expertise in engineering, hydrology, public health, planning, and the law, A2 leaders have successfully halted developments in climate-vulnerable areas; implemented nature-based hazard mitigation strategies; organized home buyouts; and pushed for clean-ups at superfund sites, toxic landfills, and petrochemical plants.
We support everyone we can, but our special priority is people who have suffered the worst environmental impacts for the longest time; that usually means low-income, Black, Latinx, Native American and other underserved communities.
To learn about our policies, read our A 10-Point Platform on Climate Change."
The Clean Energy States Alliance ☀️ 🌬️ 🌊 "is a national, nonprofit coalition of public agencies and organizations working together to advance clean energy.
CESA works with state leaders, federal agencies, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to develop clean energy programs and inclusive renewable energy markets. CESA members—mostly state agencies—include many of the most innovative, successful, and influential public funders of clean energy initiatives in the country."
Clean Water Action "is working to protect people and communities from oil and gas production's harmful environmental and health impacts while pushing for the transition to a clean energy economy."
The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) created Oil & Gas Watch "to give the public access to information about the rapid expansion of the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries in the United States.
Over the last decade and a half, fracking and other new drilling techniques have turned the United States into the largest producer of oil and gas in the world. But the buildup of the industry does not just involve drilling sites and wells – although that’s what people most often associate with oil and gas.
Downstream from those oil and gas wells, a vast web of pipelines, tanks, compressor stations, processing plants, refineries, liquefied natural gas export terminals, and chemical plants is also spreading across the U.S., often outside the consciousness of the public.
It is this oil and gas infrastructure – and the massive amount of pollution that it produces, out of sight and out of mind – that is the focus of Oil & Gas Watch. Monitoring the expansion of the industry’s infrastructure and downstream refineries and chemical plants has become increasingly important. The growth of the web of pipelines and downstream facilities means not only more pollution, but also the long-term locking-in of demand for oil, gas, and other petroleum products for decades to come. People living near or working at these sites also face dangers from explosions, fires, and leaks of toxic gases. These hazards to nearby communities become even greater with climate change, as many refineries and chemical plants are built in flood zones and are overwhelmed by hurricanes and floods.
The information in Oil & Gas Watch comes from public sources, including state and federal government records and public filings and press releases from industry."
Stop the Money Pipeline "We are a coalition of 230+ organizations working to hold the financial sector accountable for its role in fueling climate chaos and environmental racism.
Join us to help end financing for fossil fuels."
TIAA-Divest! "campaigns to pressure the $1.2 trillion retirement and financial services firm TIAA to divest from fossil fuels, and stop land grabs and deforestation. TIAA-Divest educates and mobilizes TIAA’s primary participants, higher ed and health industry professionals, to take action to stop TIAA’s investment in climate destruction.
Working with finance professionals and researchers like IEEFA and the Sunrise Project, TIAA-Divest! has uncovered the extent of TIAA’s fossil fuel assets as well as its ongoing greenwashing campaign. TIAA’s holdings include more than $78 billion in fossil fuel investments. TIAA has financed coal-fired power plants in the US and overseas and is one of the largest investors in Adani Ports, the notorious coal mining company. Our research also revealed that TIAA has ties to land grabbing and destructive industrial agricultural practices in the Brazilian Cerrado and other critical habitats around the world, routinely violating human rights."
The Youth Climate Finance Alliance "is a youth-led and youth-centered network of individual organizers and organizations. Our team’s purpose is to serve as a resource, network, and support system for grassroots youth climate organizations across the so-called US. We facilitate growth through skill development and transformative relationship building which enables local youth leaders to build and wield power against corporate climate villains and end extractive institutions and industries, with a particular emphasis on the financial pipeline to the fossil fuel industry.
We believe in growing the power of grassroots youth organizers and organizations. The young people we work with have immense revolutionary potential and power. With support, guidance, and community, they will radically change the world for the better. We see climate finance as a strategic, targeted pathway to channel the energy of youth climate organizers and target financial institutions that are directly responsible for funding fossil fuel infrastructure and projects, harming communities, our planet, and our future."
California
APEN (Asian Pacific Environmental Network) "All people have a right to a clean and healthy environment in which their communities can live, work, learn, play and thrive. Towards this vision, APEN brings together a collective voice to develop an alternative agenda for environmental, social and economic justice.
Through building an organized movement, we strive to bring fundamental changes to economic and social institutions that will prioritize public good over profits and promote the right of every person to a decent, safe, affordable quality of life, and the right to participate in decisions affecting our lives. APEN holds this vision of environmental justice for all people. Our work focuses on Asian immigrant and refugee communities."
Texas
Commission Shift "is reforming oil and gas oversight in the state of Texas by building public support to hold the Railroad Commission of Texas accountable to its mission in a shifting energy landscape. The Railroad Commission of Texas is a state agency. Despite not being well known among Texans, the commission holds a position of national and global importance when it comes to oil and gas oversight.
Together with our supporters and fellow advocates, we have established ourselves as an authority on the Railroad Commission. Local, state, and national media outlets and public officials routinely seek us out for guidance and comment on Railroad Commission issues."
Lock the Gate "We’re a grassroots movement fighting destructive coal and gas right across Australia. And growing the momentum for sustainable regional communities."
Amazon Watch "is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1996 to protect the rainforest and advance the rights of Indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin. We partner with Indigenous and environmental organizations in campaigns for human rights, corporate accountability, and the preservation of the Amazon's ecological systems."
The Global Coal Mine Tracker (GCMT) (Interactive) "is a worldwide dataset of coal mines and proposed projects. The tracker provides asset-level details on ownership structure, development stage and status, coal type, capacity, production, workforce size, reserves and resources, methane emissions, geolocation, and over 30 other categories.
The Global Coal Plant Tracker (GCPT) (Interactive) "provides information on coal-fired power units from around the world generating 30 megawatts and above. The GCPT catalogues every operating coal-fired generating unit, every new unit proposed since 2010, and every unit retired since 2000. Units often consist of a boiler and turbine, and several units may make up one coal-fired power station. The map and underlying data is updated bi-annually, around January and July. Around April and October, partial supplemental releases also cover updates to proposed coal units outside of China. Each plant included in the tracker is linked to a wiki page on GEM.wiki, which provides additional details."
The Global Coal Project Finance Tracker (GCPFT) (Interactive) "is a dataset of financial transactions to coal-fired power stations and proposed coal projects. The tracker includes information on project financiers, transaction amounts, financial institutions, financing status, dates of financial close, and more.
The Global Coal Terminals Tracker (GCTT) (Interactive) "is a worldwide dataset of import, export, and domestic coal terminals, and new projects. The tracker provides asset-level details on coal terminal ownership, geolocation, development stage and status, capacity, and more."
The Global Gas Infrastructure Tracker (GGIT) (Interactive)"is an information resource on natural gas transmission pipeline projects and liquefied natural gas (LNG) import and export terminals. Currently, GGIT aims to include all LNG terminals regardless of threshold, as well as all global gas transmission pipelines over predetermined size thresholds. An interactive map shows pipeline routes and terminal locations, and tables provide additional data on each project. Both the map and table can be filtered, and more information is provided on project-specific wiki pages housed on GEM.wiki. The sources used during research and data collection are cited in each project’s wiki page. The internal GGIT database and wiki pages are updated continuously throughout the year, and an annual release is published and distributed with data summary tables."
The Global Integrated Power Tracker (GIPT) (Interactive) is a multi-sector dataset of power stations and facilities worldwide. The tracker provides unit-level information on thermal power (coal, oil, gas, nuclear, geothermal, bioenergy) and renewables (solar, wind, hydro). The tracker includes data on unit capacity, status, ownership, fuel type, start year, retirement date, geolocation, and more. Each power facility is linked to a profile page, hosted on GEM.wiki, that provides further information.
Global Energy Monitor’s eight power sector trackers provide the source of underlying data: the Global Coal Plant Tracker, Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker, Global Solar Power Tracker, Global Wind Power Tracker, Global Hydropower Tracker, Global Geothermal Power Tracker, Global Bioenergy Power Tracker, Global Nuclear Power Tracker."
The Global Oil and Gas Extraction Tracker (GOGET) (Interactive) "is a global dataset of oil and gas resources and their development. GOGET includes information on discovered, in-development, and operating oil and gas units worldwide, including both conventional and unconventional assets. The dataset tracks the status, ownership, production, and reserves of each unit, as data is available. Units that have production of 1 million boe/yr or more and/or reserves of 25 million boe or more are included. The data is provided in both map and table format. Each unit included in the tracker is linked to a wiki page on GEM.wiki, which provides additional details, including references for the data."
The Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker (GOGPT) (Interactive) is a worldwide dataset of oil and gas-fired power plants. It includes units with capacities of 50 megawatts (MW) or more (20 MW or more in the European Union and the United Kingdom). For internal combustion units, or those units that have multiple identically sized engines, the 50 MW capacity unit threshold applies to the total capacity of the set of engines. The GOGPT catalogs every oil and gas power plant at this capacity threshold of any status, including operating, announced, pre-construction, construction, shelved, cancelled, mothballed, or retired. Units often consist of a boiler and gas or steam turbines, and several units may make up one power station. The map and underlying data is updated bi-annually, in February and August. Each plant included in the tracker is linked to a wiki page on GEM.wiki, which provides additional details."
The Global Oil Infrastructure Tracker (GOIT) (Interactive) is an information resource on crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGL) transmission pipeline projects and their development. Currently, GOIT attempts to include all global crude oil and NGL transmission pipelines of any status, though availability on this infrastructure varies across countries and regions, and some are researched more completely than others. An interactive map shows pipeline routes, and tables allow users to access additional data on each project. Both the map and table can be filtered, and more information is provided on project-specific wiki pages housed on GEM.wiki. The sources used during research and data collection are cited in each project’s wiki page. The internal GOIT database and wiki pages are updated continuously throughout the year, and an annual release is published and distributed with data summary tables."
The Africa Gas Tracker (Interactive) "provides a comprehensive dataset of gas infrastructure across Africa. The tracker covers gas pipelines, LNG terminals, oil and gas-fired power plants, and gas extraction sites. The map and underlying data are updated every year, and each project has a dedicated wiki page on GEM.wiki that provides extensive detail on the project, such as the project’s status, capacity, and ownership."
The Asia Gas Tracker (Interactive) "provides a comprehensive dataset of gas infrastructure across East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The tracker covers gas pipelines, LNG terminals, oil and gas-fired power plants, and gas extraction sites. The map and underlying data are updated regularly, and each project has a dedicated wiki page on GEM.wiki that provides extensive detail on the project, such as the project’s status, capacity, and ownership."
The European Gas Tracker (Interactive) is the world’s top gas importing region, deriving more than 80% of its annual consumption from external sources. The Europe Gas Tracker provides a compilation of GEM’s data on methane and hydrogen gas infrastructure across Europe, within and outside of the EU, as well as a few other countries* within the European gas network such as Türkiye. The Tracker covers methane gas pipelines; LNG terminals; oil, gas-fired power plants; and methane gas extraction sites. The Tracker also covers proposals to convert methane infrastructure to hydrogen usage as well as proposals for brand new hydrogen infrastructure. The map and underlying data are updated regularly, and each project has a dedicated wiki page on GEM.wiki that provides extensive detail on the project, such as the project’s status, capacity, cost and ownership."
Europe’s Toxic 30 "The air pollution created when burning coal does significant damage to human health across Europe. The infographic below shows the worst 30 plants across Europe, ranked by their health impact."
Local Energy Solutions Map "This interactive map shows inspiring examples of how individuals, communities, cooperatives, municipalities, and businesses are successfully implementing energy transition solutions. From solar rooftops to wind farms, discover how diverse and impactful the journey to sustainability can be."
Oil & Gas Watch "to give the public access to information about the rapid expansion of the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries in the United States."
Portal Energético para América Latina "GEM’s Latin America Energy Portal offers a region-wide perspective on energy infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean, through interactive maps and thousands of wiki pages. The Portal synthesizes GEM’s research on nearly 5,000 projects throughout the region, including coal- and gas-fired power plants, oil and gas pipelines, oil and gas extraction sites, LNG terminals, solar farms, wind farms, coal terminals, coal mines and steel plants that meet a predetermined size threshold. Additional resources include country energy profiles, statistical data, reports, and links to organizations working towards a sustainable energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean. ...
To learn about the various components of each GEM tracker, read About GEM’s Trackers. To receive notifications on this project, please sign up for our mailing list. If you have questions about this project, please contact the Project Manager, Gregor Clark."
LNG Tanker Tracker "A map to explore the LNG Tankers arriving and departing operational LNG export terminals in the U.S."
Portal Energético para América Latina "GEM’s Latin America Energy Portal offers a region-wide perspective on energy infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean, through interactive maps and thousands of wiki pages. The Portal synthesizes GEM’s research on nearly 5,000 projects throughout the region, including coal- and gas-fired power plants, oil and gas pipelines, oil and gas extraction sites, LNG terminals, solar farms, wind farms, coal terminals, coal mines and steel plants that meet a predetermined size threshold. Additional resources include country energy profiles, statistical data, reports, and links to organizations working towards a sustainable energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean. ...
To learn about the various components of each GEM tracker, read About GEM’s Trackers. To receive notifications on this project, please sign up for our mailing list. If you have questions about this project, please contact the Project Manager, Gregor Clark."