🔗 Share this article

One-fourth of the world's population dwells less than 5km of functioning oil, gas, and coal sites, possibly endangering the physical condition of over two billion individuals as well as essential natural habitats, according to pioneering study.

International Distribution of Oil and Gas Sites

Over 18.3k petroleum, natural gas, and coal mining locations are currently located across over 170 states worldwide, occupying a large territory of the Earth's land.

Proximity to extraction sites, industrial plants, conduits, and further oil and gas operations increases the threat of cancer, respiratory conditions, heart disease, preterm labor, and mortality, while also creating grave threats to water supplies and atmospheric purity, and degrading terrain.

Close Proximity Dangers and Planned Growth

Nearly 463 million individuals, encompassing over 120 million youth, presently reside within one kilometer of oil and gas sites, while an additional 3.5k or so new projects are presently proposed or under development that could compel over 130 million additional people to experience fumes, gas flares, and leaks.

Nearly all active sites have established toxic zones, converting adjacent communities and vital habitats into so-called sacrifice zones – severely contaminated areas where poor and disadvantaged communities shoulder the unequal load of proximity to toxins.

Health and Environmental Impacts

This analysis outlines the devastating medical consequences from extraction, refining, and shipping, as well as demonstrating how leaks, burning, and building harm priceless ecological systems and undermine human rights – especially of those residing near petroleum, natural gas, and coal operations.

It comes as world leaders, excluding the United States – the biggest past producer of greenhouse gases – meet in Belém, the South American nation, for the thirtieth climate negotiations during growing disappointment at the slow advancement in eliminating oil, gas, and coal, which are driving environmental breakdown and rights abuses.

"The fossil fuel industry and its public supporters have argued for a long time that economic growth needs oil, gas, and coal. But research shows that under the guise of prosperity, they have instead promoted self-interest and profits without limits, infringed rights with almost total exemption, and destroyed the climate, natural world, and oceans."

Climate Talks and International Urgency

The environmental summit takes place as the Philippines, the North American country, and Jamaica are reeling from superstorms that were strengthened by increased atmospheric and ocean heat levels, with states under mounting pressure to take firm action to regulate oil and gas corporations and stop drilling, subsidies, authorizations, and consumption in order to comply with a landmark ruling by the world court.

Last week, disclosures revealed how over over 5.3k coal and petroleum advocates have been given admission to the United Nations global conferences in the past four years, obstructing climate action while their sponsors extract unprecedented amounts of oil and natural gas.

Study Approach and Results

The statistical study is founded on a groundbreaking location-based project by scientists who analyzed records on the identified positions of oil and gas operations sites with demographic data, and records on critical ecosystems, climate outputs, and Indigenous peoples' land.

A third of all active oil, coal mining, and gas locations intersect with several key habitats such as a marsh, forest, or river system that is teeming with biodiversity and critical for CO2 absorption or where natural decline or catastrophe could lead to environmental breakdown.

The real worldwide scope is likely larger due to gaps in the recording of coal and gas projects and restricted census information throughout states.

Ecological Injustice and Tribal Populations

The findings demonstrate entrenched ecological inequity and bias in contact to petroleum, gas, and coal industries.

Tribal populations, who account for 5% of the world's residents, are unequally vulnerable to life-shortening coal and gas operations, with one in six sites situated on Indigenous lands.

"We endure multi-generational resistance weariness … Our bodies will not withstand [this]. We were never the initiators but we have endured the brunt of all the aggression."

The spread of fossil fuels has also been connected with territorial takeovers, heritage destruction, social fragmentation, and economic hardship, as well as aggression, internet intimidation, and legal actions, both criminal and civil, against community leaders non-violently resisting the construction of pipelines, extraction operations, and other infrastructure.

"We never after money; we simply need {what