Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Damien Gayle and Jillian Ambrose

US plan to exploit Venezuela’s oil could eat up 13% of carbon budget to keep 1.5C limit

A dilapidated oil tank on Lake Maracaibo in Venzuela.
A dilapidated oil tank on Lake Maracaibo in Venzuela. The oil extracted from Venezuela’s vast reserves is, according to industry estimates, the filthiest in the world. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

US plans to exploit Venezuela’s oil reserves could by 2050 consume more than a tenth of the world’s remaining carbon budget to limit global heating to 1.5C, according to an exclusive analysis.

The calculation highlights how any moves to further exploit the South American nation’s oil reserves – the largest in the world, at least on paper – would put increasing pressure on climate goals, and risk plunging the Earth further into climate catastrophe.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.