25% of the world's residents resides less than three miles of operational fossil fuel projects, potentially threatening the health of over 2bn individuals as well as essential ecosystems, per groundbreaking analysis.
Worldwide Presence of Coal and Gas Operations
Over eighteen thousand three hundred oil, gas, and coal sites are now distributed across 170 states globally, taking up a large expanse of the planet's surface.
Nearness to wellheads, refineries, pipelines, and further coal and gas installations increases the threat of tumors, lung diseases, cardiovascular issues, early delivery, and mortality, while also posing grave threats to water supplies and air quality, and degrading land.
Close Proximity Dangers and Future Expansion
Almost 463 million people, counting 124 million minors, now reside less than 1km of oil and gas sites, while an additional 3.5k or so proposed facilities are now planned or under development that could compel over 130 million further residents to experience pollutants, flares, and accidents.
Nearly all operational projects have created toxic hotspots, turning adjacent neighborhoods and essential environments into so-called disposable areas – heavily polluted zones where low-income and marginalized groups bear the unfair weight of exposure to pollution.
Physical and Natural Effects
The report outlines the severe medical impact from drilling, treatment, and shipping, as well as illustrating how spills, ignitions, and development damage unique environmental habitats and weaken human rights – particularly of those living close to oil, natural gas, and coal mining operations.
The report emerges as international representatives, without the US – the greatest past producer of climate pollutants – gather in Belém, Brazil, for the 30th annual global climate conference amid rising disappointment at the lack of progress in eliminating coal, oil, and gas, which are causing planetary collapse and human rights violations.
"The fossil fuel industry and its state sponsors have argued for a long time that economic growth requires fossil fuels. But it is clear that under the guise of prosperity, they have in fact promoted profit and profits unchecked, breached liberties with near-complete impunity, and destroyed the climate, natural world, and oceans."
Climate Discussions and Global Urgency
The climate conference takes place as the Philippines, the North American country, and Jamaica are reeling from major hurricanes that were worsened by increased atmospheric and ocean heat levels, with states under growing demand to take decisive action to regulate coal and gas firms and halt mining, subsidies, permits, and use in order to follow a historic decision by the world court.
Recently, disclosures showed how over 5,350 oil and gas sector lobbyists have been given entry to the UN climate talks in the recent years, obstructing emission reductions while their employers extract unprecedented amounts of oil and natural gas.
Research Methodology and Results
This data-driven analysis is derived from a innovative mapping effort by scientists who analyzed information on the documented sites of fossil fuel operations locations with demographic figures, and datasets on critical environments, climate emissions, and tribal territories.
A third of all active petroleum, coal mining, and gas sites overlap with multiple critical ecosystems such as a swamp, jungle, or waterway that is abundant in wildlife and critical for emission storage or where natural degradation or disaster could lead to ecosystem collapse.
The real global scope is probably higher due to deficiencies in the recording of oil and gas operations and limited demographic records across states.
Natural Inequality and Tribal Communities
The data demonstrate long-standing ecological inequity and racism in exposure to oil, gas, and coal sectors.
Tribal populations, who represent 5% of the world's population, are unfairly vulnerable to dangerous oil and gas operations, with a sixth locations located on native lands.
"We face multi-generational struggle exhaustion … Our bodies will not withstand [this]. We were never the initiators but we have taken the brunt of all the conflict."
The growth of oil, gas, and coal has also been connected with land grabs, traditional loss, population conflict, and loss of livelihoods, as well as violence, online threats, and legal actions, both penal and legal, against community leaders calmly challenging the construction of transport lines, mining sites, and other infrastructure.
"We do not after wealth; we just desire {what
