In a little-noticed interview in early June, U.S. President Barack Obama affirmed that two-thirds of the world’s fossil fuel resources will have to be left in the ground to keep to a 2ºC target for average global warming. “Science is science,” Obama told New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman, “and there is no doubt that if we burned all the fossil fuel that’s in the ground right now, that the planet’s going to get too hot and the consequences could be dire.” So “we’re not going to be able to burn it all.” Bloomberg speculated the comments received limited coverage because walking away from fossil fuels is inconceivable to most people: “Leaving two-thirds of the earth’s fossil fuel reserves in the ground would revolutionize global energy practices,” and “would also invalidate the business plans of some of the richest and most powerful enterprises in history.” (h/t to Corporate Knights for spotting this story)
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