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Fossil fuel supply, green growth, and unburnable carbon

This discussion brief synthesizes key issues being explored by an ongoing SEI project on fossil-fuel infrastructure investments around the world. The International Energy Agency has noted that if global warming is to be kept under a 2°C above pre-industrial levels, a large share of all proven reserves of oil, gas and coal will have to be left undeveloped. At the same time, the IEA has found that enough new infrastructure is slated to come online by 2017 to lock in the remainder of CO2 emissions allowable under a 2°C limit.