We can finally measure the damage each new coal, gas or oil project will do to people and nature

For decades, governments and fossil fuel companies have been approving new projects without considering the potential damage they could cause to people and the environment. Due to a legal defense known as the "drop in the ocean" argument, it was difficult to quantify the precise harm caused by a single project. However, recent advancements in climate attribution science have allowed scientists to pinpoint specific contributions of individual projects to climate change.

A new open-source tool called the Carbon Impacts Tracer has been developed to measure the damage each new fossil fuel project will cause. This tool goes beyond just accounting for carbon dioxide emissions, as it also calculates the resulting temperature increase and eight types of environmental damage, such as increased heat-related deaths in Europe, loss of coral reefs, and glacial melt.

By connecting the dots between emissions, extra warming, and the subsequent damage, the tool offers a robust methodology that can be applied to any fossil fuel project. This will enable governments, fossil fuel companies, and communities to hold these entities accountable for the environmental harm caused by their projects.