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Ministers and respresentatives of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) pose on stage at the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow on Nov. 11, 2021. ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images
The first international coalition of countries committed to ending oil and gas extraction launched at COP26 on Thursday.
Led by Costa Rica and Denmark, the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) was joined by France, Greenland, Ireland, Sweden, Wales, and the Canadian province of Quebec. California and New Zealand, signing on as associate members, committed to taking “concrete steps” to reduce oil and gas extraction.
The extraction and combustion of fossil fuels like oil and gas are the main driver of climate change.
“My own country Denmark, when we made the decision in 2019, we were the biggest oil producer in the EU,” Danish Climate Minister Dan Jørgensen told Earther. “Other countries on the list have substantial production. And we need to look at the reserves; Greenland has huge reserves. It’s not without meaning. Having said all that, this is the first step.”
Jørgensen also said BOGA was in “close dialogue” with Scotland, where most UK oil and gas extraction is located, according to the Financial Times.
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