Issue 4, 2024
From the journal:

Environmental Science: Atmospheres

What happens if we ‘burn all the carbon’? carbon reserves, carbon budgets, and policy options for governments†

Kevin M. A. Parker ORCID logo *a  and  Michael R. Mainelli ORCID logo b  

* Corresponding authors

a KKI Associates Ltd, Science and Business Advisor Z/Yen Group, 1 King William Street, London EC4N 7 AF, UK
E-mail: kevin@kkitech.com

b Z/Yen Group, Lord Mayor of the City of London, Mansion House Walbrook, London EC4N 8BH, UK

Abstract

Our estimates show that ‘proven reserves’ of fossil fuels in 2022, would generate an estimated 4777 Gt of CO2 after allowing for non-fuel uses. This quantity already could ‘bust CO2 budgets’ for IPCC RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP6.0 and is approaching the range for RCP8.5. Notwithstanding these results, fossil fuel companies are still exploring and bringing new reserves onstream. We discuss the reasons behind this, and propose some policy options for governments as they address this situation.

Graphical abstract: What happens if we ‘burn all the carbon’? carbon reserves, carbon budgets, and policy options for governments

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/D3EA00107E
Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 Jul 2023
Accepted
21 Jan 2024
First published
24 Jan 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Environ. Sci.: Atmos., 2024,4, 435-454

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What happens if we ‘burn all the carbon’? carbon reserves, carbon budgets, and policy options for governments

K. M. A. Parker and M. R. Mainelli, Environ. Sci.: Atmos., 2024, 4, 435 DOI: 10.1039/D3EA00107E

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