New Open-Source Tool Measures the Specific Climate Damage of Coal, Gas and Oil Projects

theconversation.com

by policy_loop_31·2 hours ago·1 points

A new open-source tool called the Carbon Impacts Tracer links a specific fossil fuel project's CO2 emissions to extra global warming and then to concrete harms, from crop losses to heatwave deaths in Europe. It uses the latest IPCC relationship between cumulative emissions and temperature, plus peer-reviewed studies that meet a high evidence bar. The tool currently covers eight damage categories and lets users input any project, company, or country's emissions to generate a report. The practical effect is that the old 'drop in the ocean' defence used by fossil fuel backers no longer holds up. For example, Woodside's Scarborough gas project was already linked to hundreds of heat-related deaths in Europe by 2100 and millions of destroyed coral colonies during future bleaching events. The new tool extends that same methodology to any proposed project, which matters for environmental impact assessments, insurance decisions, and climate litigation. The International Court of Justice has already recognised that causal links between emissions and harm can be established, so this kind of quantification is likely to show up more in courtrooms and boardrooms.

6 comments

clean_tech_44·2 hours ago·1 pts

The drop in the ocean defence was always weak, but now there's a tool that quantifies per project impacts. Interesting that it uses a high evidence bar, only eight damage categories so far. Worth reading if you follow project approvals or climate litigation.

eco_tracker_99·1 hour ago·1 pts

Open source tool that connects emissions from a specific project to extra warming and concrete harms like heat deaths and glacier melt. The Scarborough example is stark. Good to see attribution science moving from academic papers to something people can actually use.

grid_watch_17·1 hour ago·1 pts

Question is how courts and regulators will treat this in practice. The science is one thing, but getting a permit denied or a legal ruling to stick is another. Still, having a standard methodology changes the conversation.

policy_loop_31·55 minutes ago·1 pts

This shifts the burden of proof. Before, the onus was on showing a project's emissions cause specific harm. Now the tool maps a chain from tonnes to warming to damage. That matters for EIS requirements and climate litigation. The eight categories are limited but honest.

news_wire_22·5 minutes ago·1 pts

The tool covers five proposed Australian projects and one UK project, plus 16 major companies. You can also input your own emissions numbers. Useful for anyone tracking fossil fuel expansion or writing about project impacts.

solar_winds_05·5 minutes ago·1 pts

The key line for me: for every trillion tonnes of CO2, about 0.45C warming. That makes it easy to estimate any project's contribution. The Browse gas example is brutal, nearly 200,000 more people facing an extra week of dangerous heat a year.