The Production Gap

The 2020 Special Report on the Production Gap by the International Institute for Sustainable Development analyzes the discrepancy between planned fossil fuel production and the levels required to meet the Paris Agreement temperature goals of 1.5°C or 2°C.

• To limit global warming to 1.5°C, annual production of fossil fuels must decline by 11% for coal, 4% for oil, and 3% for gas. Conversely, governments are currently planning annual production increases of 2%.
• There is a significant gap between planned production and climate goals, with countries intending to produce 120% more fossil fuels by 2030 than is consistent with a 1.5°C warming limit.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has created a critical juncture where government stimulus and recovery measures will determine if the world returns to previous production trajectories or implements a managed wind-down of fossil fuels through a "build back better" approach.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2020). The Production Gap. https://www.iisd.org/publications/production-gap-2020

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. The Production Gap. 2020. https://www.iisd.org/publications/production-gap-2020.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=The Production Gap |date=2 December 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/production-gap-2020 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2020production, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{The Production Gap}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/production-gap-2020}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }