Two-thirds of known fossil fuel reserves must remain unburned to meet climate targets

Evidence

Hydrocarbon-based fuel sources such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas have accumulated over eons in reservoirs in the earth’s substructure. When these fuels are extracted and burned for energy, the residue is released as heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the global atmosphere. According to the International Energy Agency, two-thirds of fossil fuel reserves should be left underground to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, above preindustrial levels to forestall irreversible, devastating environmental changes (McDonald, 2013). We cannot keep digging up underground hydrocarbons and depositing their byproducts into the global atmosphere, where they trap heat for centuries, warming the planet. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2675 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Two-thirds of fossil fuel reserves must remain unextracted to hold warming to 2C. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 2675; Environmental protection structurally requires present sacrifice for unverifiable future gain — Richard J. Lazarus, The Making of Environmental Law, 983

Broader Connections

• Two-thirds of fossil fuel reserves must remain unextracted to hold warming to 2C. #expands (0.97) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2675