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A decade after the Paris Agreement, a new analysis by Oil Change International (OCI) on October 29, 2025, revealed that just four Global North countries — the United States (US), Canada, Australia, and Norway — are overwhelmingly responsible for derailing global efforts to phase out fossil fuels.
Together, they expanded oil and gas production by nearly 40 per cent between 2015 and 2024, even as the rest of the world cut output by 2 per cent.
The Planet Wreckers: Global North Countries Fueling the Fire Since the Paris Agreement report finds that the US alone accounted for more than 90 per cent of the net global increase in oil and gas extraction over the last decade — adding nearly 11 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d), more than five times any other country.
“These countries promised in Paris to limit warming to 1.5°C,” said Romain Ioualalen, Global Policy Lead at OCI. “Instead, they’ve poured fuel on the fire while withholding the funds needed to put it out. This is a blatant mockery of justice and equity.”
The report shows that since the Paris Agreement, Global North governments have approved or supported fossil fuel projects representing over half of future planned expansion. Australia saw the steepest proportional rise — a 77 per cent surge in production — while Norway continues to issue new drilling licences in the Arctic.
Meanwhile, developing countries—those least responsible for the climate crisis—have reduced or stabilised fossil fuel output, despite their dependence on revenues for economic development.
“The world’s richest producers are acting like arsonists lecturing firefighters,” said Lagi Toribau, Pacific climate campaigner based in Fiji. “For island nations like ours, every barrel burned means another home lost to rising seas. Equity means the Global North must phase out first and pay its fair share to help others transition.”
Between 2015 and 2024, Global North countries provided just $280 billion in grant-based climate finance — a small fraction of the $1-5 trillion needed annually for global decarbonisation. In contrast, oil and gas companies headquartered in those nations earned $1.3 trillion in profits over the same period — five times the total public climate finance delivered.
“Rich countries have the means to act but choose not to,” Ioualalen said. “They are subsidising fossil fuels at home and exporting climate chaos abroad.”
The report finds that $465 billion in public subsidies has flowed to fossil fuel producers since 2015, while domestic policies continue to shield oil and gas firms from taxation. OCI calculates that by ending fossil fuel subsidies and reforming global tax and debt rules, high-income countries could mobilise up to $6.6 trillion annually for climate action — and as much as $11 trillion if they back structural reforms to the global financial system.
At current rates, the remaining global carbon budget for 1.5°C will be exhausted within three years, OCI warns. The report calls for immediate action from high-income producers to:
1. Phase out first and fastest — stop approving new oil and gas projects and set clear end dates for production; and
2. Pay up — deliver equitable, grant-based finance to help the Global South transition to clean energy.
Despite the Global North’s inaction, the report highlights leadership emerging from developing countries. Colombia will host the first International Conference for the Phase-Out of Fossil Fuels in 2026, building momentum for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Partnerships such as the Clean Energy Transition Partnership and COFFIS are already redirecting finance away from fossil fuels.
“Communities in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific are moving forward despite receiving little support,” said Nii Kotei Nikoi, climate justice advocate from Ghana. “It’s time the wealthiest nations matched words with action. Without accountability from the Global North, the 1.5°C promise will remain just that — a promise.”
As negotiators prepare for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the report delivers a stark warning: unless the biggest historical emitters rapidly curb production and finance an equitable transition, they will remain the planet’s top climate wreckers.