Unburnable Carbon In Protected Areas

This new analysis shows that over 47 Gigatonnes of CO2 could be released by extracting and burning fossil fuels from within protected areas.

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The Leave it in the Ground Initiative (LINGO), in collaboration with Oil Change International, today launched the findings of a global analysis which maps fossil fuels underneath the world’s protected areas. For the first time, it quantifies the threat from fossil fuel extraction to legally protected areas worldwide.

This new analysis shows that over 47 Gigatonnes of CO2 could be released by extracting and burning fossil fuels from within protected areas: more than the yearly emissions of the entire world combined. The dataset shows over 600 companies profiting from fossil fuel extraction inside protected areas: over 2900 ongoing or planned fossil fuel activities in protected areas in 91 countries were identified, including in the globally significant Marawah Biosphere Reserve in the United Arab Emirates, where UAE oil company ADNOC – which is led by the COP28 president Sultan Al Jaber – plans a mega fossil gas extraction project.

The research was conducted in collaboration with Oil Change International and mapping was performed by FracTracker Alliance and LINGO’s in-house mapping expert.

Published by the Leave it in the Ground Initiative (LINGO) in collaboration with Oil Change International.

More information:

• Protected Carbon Website
• Interactive Map (preview)
• Case Studies
• List of affected countries
• List of involved companies