Australian scientists have developed a groundbreaking online tool that can predict the environmental impact of fossil fuel projects on the climate. The tool, known as the Carbon Impacts Tracer, can assess how proposed mines, offshore oil platforms, or other energy ventures will contribute to global warming, glacier melt, and potential human fatalities.
Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, a climate science professor at the Australian National University, highlighted during a virtual press briefing that the Carbon Impacts Tracer connects individual fossil fuel projects’ emissions to their impact on global temperature rise and subsequent consequences.
By utilizing carbon dioxide emission data from project proposals, the tool calculates the expected increase in global temperatures. It then employs scientific research to determine the real-world effects of this temperature rise, such as coral reef degradation, reduced food production, and job losses.
The Carbon Impacts Tracer was launched with case studies on various projects, including the Bay du Nord offshore oil project in Canada. This project, led by Equinor, is projected to extract over 430 million barrels of oil reserves, potentially emitting 188 megatonnes of CO2 over 20 years, resulting in a minimal temperature rise.
Moreover, the tool predicts that the emissions from Bay du Nord could expose over 111,000 individuals to extreme heat and lead to 25 heat-related deaths in Europe. It also estimates glacier loss, sea level rise, job losses, and increased poverty due to pollution from the project.
Experts like climatologist Joel Finnis from Memorial University acknowledge the significance of the Carbon Impacts Tracer in consolidating research findings for public understanding. Finnis emphasizes the tool’s role in debunking arguments for expanding oil production by revealing the substantial environmental, economic, and social costs associated with fossil fuel projects.
Maria Nawaz, the head of the climate change accountability project at the University of New South Wales, emphasizes the tool’s potential in holding governments and corporations accountable for their emissions. Nawaz envisions the tracer being utilized by regulators, governments, and the public to evaluate the impacts of proposed projects and strengthen climate litigation efforts.
The Carbon Impacts Tracer is intended for assessing the impacts of future projects, and researchers plan to incorporate more proposed developments as additional data becomes accessible.