They played a key role in limiting the ecological damage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in the 1980s and digesting the mix of crude oil and natural gas leaking from BP’s Macondo well in 2010.

While oil and gas may be experiencing some momentum today, there is good evidence that the boom might be momentary. Demand for all fossil fuels will peak by 2030 even without new climate policies.

The Glasgow Climate Pact reaffirmed the primary goal of the Paris Agreement: limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius versus pre-industrial levels. As policymakers attempt to ...