Locked-In Emissions From Oil Refineries Endanger Climate Goals

Oil refineries are set to emit billions of tons of carbon dioxide after 2050, the year by which scientists say the world must reach carbon neutrality in order to avoid catastrophic global warming, according to a new study.

China and India are propelling growth in oil products with scores of new plants that will lock in higher greenhouse gas emissions over the next three decades, scientists at Tsinghua University wrote in the report published Friday in the journal One Earth. Without a dramatic overhaul to clean up operations, refiners are poised to emit an additional 8.2 billion tons of pollution beyond mid-century, the study showed.