UNFCCC COP28 to launch a report on oil and gas threats to protected areas worldwide, published by the research group Earth Insight, the Leave it in the Ground Initiative (LINGO), and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).
The report comes at a critical moment of increased political and international policy momentum for a complete phase-out of fossil fuel production worldwide. An immediate end to fossil fuel extraction in protected areas is necessary to safeguard some of the most important remaining high integrity, biodiverse ecosystems on Earth.
The report finds that globally, at least 918 protected areas have ongoing or planned fossil fuel extraction projects within their boundaries, with a total of 2337 active or proposed oil, gas, and coal extraction ventures within legally protected areas. This and other findings about the future of these important places for conservation and climate will be discussed.
