Įvery new ton of greenhouse gas emissions pushes global temperatures closer to the 1.5☌ limit, and the amount of carbon we can emit without going over that limit is referred to as our “carbon budget.” At current rates of emissions, the remaining budget will be exhausted in only 12-15 years. can and should reduce our emissions at an even faster pace. Due to our responsibility for a large portion of historical emissions, the U.S. Globally, we must cut planet-warming greenhouse gas pollution “by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030,” and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. To successfully limit warming to 1.5☌, we must take dramatic action over the next decade. If we are able to limit global warming to 1.5☌ (2.7☏) above pre-industrial levels, we will reduce the risk of extreme heat waves, heavy precipitation, droughts, sea-level rise, polar melting, expanding health risks, and other dangerous climate impacts worldwide.2] Here in the U.S., the climate crisis is already worsening “existing vulnerabilities in communities” and presenting “growing challenges to human health and safety, quality of life, and the rate of economic growth.” Studies have shown if nothing is done to halt emissions, climate change could cost the U.S. We need to take transformative action in the next decade to completely phase out fossil fuel production and transition our economy to 100% renewable energy. The science is clear: we cannot continue burning coal, oil, and gas if we are going to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. Fossil fuel companies are wrecking our climate Here are eight reasons why we should kick off a managed decline of the fossil fuel industry. Fossil fuel companies have also misled the public about the impacts of climate change, corrupted our democracy, and attacked renewable energy solutions. The burden of this pollution is borne most heavily by low-income and communities of color - and by the industry’s own workers. Fossil fuel companies are also responsible for significant air and water pollution. īut the fossil fuel industry’s bad behavior doesn’t stop with greenhouse gas emissions. The report shows that without specific policies to constrain fossil fuel supply, then a significant fraction of emissions reductions achieved by policies to reduce demand for fossil fuels could be wiped out. A Greenpeace report illustrated the need for managed phase out of fossil fuel production as part of any comprehensive climate policy effort like a Green New Deal. Fossil fuel corporations are profiting from the continued consumption of coal, oil and gas, which are driving global warming to dangerous levels.