20 September 2022 - The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative welcomed the launch of the Global Registry of Fossil Fuels developed by Carbon Tracker, with data support from Global Energy Monitor. It is the first-ever fully public database on production of the weapon of mass destruction of our time: fossil fuels. 

The Registry exposes that fossil fuel production risks extreme heating of the planet revealing that there is seven times more CO2 buried underground than we can emit if we are to stay within the 1.5ºC limit.

The world has seen treaties deliver when the world has needed to manage, restrict and phase out dangerous products, including weapons of mass destruction. And in the same way that identifying where nuclear weapons were stockpiled brought us closer toward managing them. By providing the answer to how much coal, oil and gas is produced but also to where this production is taking place, the Global Registry provides essential information for governments to negotiate a global just transition plan.

Alex Rafalowicz, Director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative, said: “The Registry is the transparency tool that has been missing in our toolkit for holding governments and corporations accountable on fossil fuel production. I hope this registry will foster further international cooperation for the phase-out of oil, gas and coal in a manner that is not only fast but also fair.”

Rebecca Byrnes, Deputy Director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, said: “The Global Registry arms us with the missing information to take collective responsibility for our planet. It is a tool to support diplomacy and determine where efforts should be led so that we, as a world, can cooperate to phase out fossil fuel production and avoid catastrophic climate change. The Registry puts an end to a culture of secrecy around oil, gas and coal production. It will not let any stakeholder hide behind false solutions or contradictions. On the contrary, it will enable global cooperation and climate justice to become a reality.”

Tzeporah Berman, Chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty: “You can’t manage what you don’t measure. We hear a lot of leaders claiming they are acting on climate change but this database exposes the facts. Are you growing the problem or not? Is what you are doing today going to mean that your country eats up our global carbon budget and leaves nothing for countries in the global south who are struggling with energy poverty? It’s pretty clear in the Registry that wealthy countries are still planning to expand their stockpile of fossil fuels to the detriment of others.”

Access the Global Registry of Fossil Fuels: www.fossilfuelregistry.org

The Global Registry of Fossil Fuels was developed by Carbon Tracker, with data from Global Energy Monitor, and is supported by the New York Community Trust and Generation Foundation.