Understanding Human-Made Emissions and the Oil & Gas Industry’s Role in Sustainability

Introduction

Being a perpetual learner is one of the most important skills that you can have, I’ve always look to learn new things and to properly structure my thinking about a certain topic through writing.

Lately, I have gravitated towards understanding the impact of human-made emissions, with a particular emphasis on the pivotal role played by the oil and gas industry.

The oil and gas sector remains a cornerstone of global energy provision, powering societies and propelling economic development across advanced and emerging economies. Yet, as we harness the power of fossil fuels, we face a critical imperative: How do we mitigate emissions and safeguard our planet’s future?

To answer it I had to first learn more about:

• The intricacies of our planet’s climate system.
• How are we contributing for the emission of greenhouse effects and the consequences of it?
• Viable solutions for reduce human made emissions.
• The historical and ongoing significance of the oil and gas industry and strategies to mitigate its impact on climate change.

Understanding the climate and the climate change

Solar radiation is critical for our survival, as it enables life on Earth. However, excessive solar waves can render a planet extremely hot and uninhabitable. Fortunately, our planet has a natural system to capture just enough solar radiation to keep it warm enough for our survival.

Solar radiation originates from the sun and is propagated throughout our solar system. Of this, 30% is reflected back into space upon reaching our planet. The remaining 70% is trapped by Earth’s greenhouse gases, which warm the planet and foster life. This process maintains the planet’s temperatures, preventing them from becoming too hot or too cold.

However, an excess of greenhouse gases can trap too much solar radiation, causing the planet to overheat and disrupt life and ecosystems. These greenhouse gases are not only produced naturally but are also emitted into the atmosphere by human activities. The burning of fossil fuels and industrialization contribute significantly to the emission of greenhouse gases, trapping excess solar radiation in our atmosphere.

There are many types of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor and the emission of these gases has been increasing at an unprecedented rate since the industrial revolution.

The current emission of greenhouse gases can have catastrophic consequences for our planet. This phenomenon not only increases global temperatures but also intensifies the heat in hot places and the cold in cold places, leading to significant imbalances in our climate system. The following consequences will continue to occur:

• Extreme weather conditions such as heat waves, floods, hurricanes, etc.
• Rising sea levels
• Destruction of natural habitats

These changes will impact every aspect of our lives, including food production due to floods and droughts, where we can live, the spread of diseases, political and social stability. And this could develop a feedback loop of further continuous destruction.

source: Michal Bednarski for NRDC

So, how can we reverse this situation?

There are two primary methods to lessen the amount of solar radiation trapped in our atmosphere:

1. This involves technologies like deploying giant mirrors in space or spraying aerosols into the atmosphere to deflect incoming sunlight. However, these methods are still in their infancy and carry potential risks to the environment.
2. Achieve net-zero emissions, meaning we remove as much greenhouse gas from the atmosphere as we emit, this is the most viable and impactful approach.

What are the main sources of emissions and challenges with renewable energies.

The majority of human-made emissions come from transportation, electric power, industry, commercial & residential, and agriculture. Achieving net zero emissions would require that we either increase renewable energies intake in our energy mix our/and we become more efficient in the use of current energy sources in order to avoid the emissions or capture them.

New renewable energy sources are on the come up, technological developments are improving every day the increase reliability and cost-effectiveness of those energy sources, however there are still many challenges such as concerns in the mineral mining methods, current infrastructure capacity, intermittency of these energies sources, for the full adoption of those energy sources.

The intermittency of solar and wind energy is a notable challenge, as it is influenced by the variability of sunlight and wind speed, impacting the efficiency of energy capture. In solar energy, for example, cloudy days and nighttime significantly reduce energy production, while wind energy can be affected by low wind speeds.

However, advancements in battery storage for solar energy have the potential to address the intermittency issue. High-capacity batteries can store excess energy during peak production periods, providing a reliable power source during low sunlight or wind conditions. This enables better energy management when needed, assisting grid operators in maintaining a consistent and stable power supply.

It’s important to note that ongoing research and development in energy storage technologies, along with improvements in grid infrastructure, are crucial elements in overcoming the challenges associated with the intermittency of renewable energy sources.

Moving towards the full use of renewable energies is one way of achieving net-zero, however the it is also possible to cut greenhouse gases emissions as much as possible from non-renewable energy sources such as oil and gas exploration and production.

Becoming more efficient with now-renewable energy source: Fossil fuels

Fossil fuels are a major source of energy for the functioning of societies, it powers from our cars, it is a major source of energy for our industries and a major input in the industrial production. It has enabled human progress to many areas by allowing for an exponential increase of economic activities due to a cost-effective energy source.

According to Alex Epstein in the book Fossil Future — “fossil fuels are the most cost-effective because they can provide the most valuable (”effective”) types of energy for the lowest cost for the most people, cost-effectiveness of energy has four dimensions:

• Affordability: how much money does it cost relative to how much money people have?
• Realibility: to what extent can it be produced “on demand” — when needed, in as large a quantity as needed”
• Versatility: how wide a variety of machines can it power?
• Scalability: how many people can it produce energy for an in how many places?”

Other energies sources may be cheaper to produce but they may lack on of the four dimensions, fossil fuels such as oil bring a unique combination of four dimension above which all it to be the most consume global energy source.

Fossiel fuels are the primary source of energy consumption with 60% of energy consumption is oil and gas , 86% from fossil fuels (coal, gas, oil).

How oil contributed to economic and social development

Being on of the most cost-effective energy sources fossil fuels have allowed humans to increase productivity by powering and amplifying the use machines and allowing machines to produce more value than it consumed, for instance machines in agriculture have increased harvest capability, machines power by fossil fuels have allowed for high speed and safe transportation through planes, ships, cars. the use of machine labor have allowed for greater ability to exponentially increase the output per input.

Fossil fuels have been an important motor of human development and poverty reduction, and it still is a major source and pillar for further human development, billions of people still leave in a world without reliable energy sources

Despite the benefits there is a going concern about the impact of production into our climate. Fossil fuels, when burned for energy, release carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These gases contribute to the greenhouse effect, leading to global warming and climate change.

Source: Carbon Brief — Analysis: Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels hit record high in 2022

Current efforts to Decarbonize the oil and gas industry

Carbon capture technologies are pivotal in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions within the oil and gas industry. Several methods are employed for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) in this sector:

1. Flare Gas Recovery: This method involves capturing and repurposing gases typically flared or burned off during oil and gas operations. Flaring, while common for safety and environmental reasons, releases greenhouse gases and wastes valuable energy resources. Flare gas recovery systems aim to mitigate this impact by reclaiming gases that would otherwise be burned. Techniques include recompressing gas into reservoirs, redirecting it into the process stream, or converting it into electricity when local demand permits. Addressing fugitive emissions involves strategies like leak detection, repair programs, and satellite monitoring.
2. Methane Management: Unintentional gas emissions, or leaks, can stem from various equipment and processes across oil and gas infrastructure. Components prone to fugitive emissions include valves, connections, flanges, lines, and pump seals. Cost-effective mitigation measures include leak detection and repair campaigns, installing emissions control devices, and replacing components emitting methane during normal operations.
3. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): CCS entails capturing CO2 emissions from industrial processes like steel and cement production, as well as from fossil fuel combustion in power generation. Captured carbon is transported via ship or pipeline to be stored deep underground in geological formations.

These methods collectively contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of the oil and gas industry while enhancing environmental sustainability.

In summary, optimizing oil and gas exploration efficiency while implementing carbon capture technologies represents a transitional strategy. This allows us to continue benefiting from these energy sources while concurrently advancing technologies that fortify our renewable energy efforts. The journey towards a sustainable future involves a delicate interplay between our historical reliance on fossil fuels and the imperative to safeguard the planet we call home.

Sources:

• Deep Dive: The Global Energy Transition — Social Capital
• Chevron Corporation 2023 Climate Change Resilience Report
• Greenhouse Effect 101 — National Resources Defense Council
• The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels — Alex Epstein