Oil and gas will be part of the energy system for decades to come even under ambitious effects to

reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement. It is therefore crucial to
reduce the immediate social and environmental impacts associated with producing and
consuming these fuels.
Indirect greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas operations including both carbon dioxide and
methane emissions today are around 5200 million tons. These emissions which do not include
any emissions associated with the actual fuel consumption of the fuel amount to around 15% of
the energy sector’s total greenhouse gases emissions.
The emissions from producing, refining and transporting a barrel of oil are between 10% and
30% of its full well to wheel lifecycle emissions intensity.
For gas, indirect emissions sources are between 15% and 40% of its full lifecycle emissions
intensity.
Above ground practices such as venting methane emissions, venting carbon dioxide that occurs
naturally alongside natural gas and flaring of unwanted methane, rather than the type of oil and
gas that is extracted are most responsible for where different types of oil and gas fall along the
spectrum.
Other industrial sectors such as refineries and cement kilns have been regulated for certain
pollutants. In summary, four major sources contribute to the carbon dioxide emissions from the
oil and gas industry:

1. Exhaust from engines, turbines and fired heaters

2. Gas flaring
3. Well testing
4. Other carbon emissions such as carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery operations

Effect of carbon footprint to the environment

By trapping heat from the songs have kept the earth’s climate habitable for humans and millions
of other species.
Carbon dioxide levels are at the highest levels ever recorded. These gases absorb solar energy
and keep heat close to the earth’s surface rather than letting it escape into space. This trapping of
heat is known as greenhouse effect leading to general changes in the climate.
Climate change not only encompasses the rising temperatures referred to as global warming but
also extreme weather events. The following are the impacts of climate change:

 Ice is melting worldwide especially at the earth’s poles. This includes mountain glaciers,
ice sheets covering West Antarctica and Greenland, the Arctic Sea ice
 Much of this melting ice contributes to sea level rise. Global sea levels are rising 0.13
inches every year and the rise is occurring at a faster rate in recent years
 Rising temperatures are affecting wildlife and their habitats
 As temperatures change, many species are on the move. Some butterflies, foxes and
alpine plants have migrated further north or to cooler parts.
 Precipitation has increased across the globe; yet some regions are experiencing more
severe drought, increasing the risk of wildfires, lost crops and drinking water shortages
 Some species such as mosquitoes and crop pests are thriving. Bark beetles which feed on
spruce and pine trees have devastated millions of forested areas in the US

These effects may take place later in the century if warming continues:

 Sea levels are expected to rise between 10 and 32 inches or higher

 Hurricanes and other storms are likely to become stronger. Floods and droughts will
become more common
 Less freshwater sources will become available since glaciers store about threequarters of
the world’s freshwater
 Some diseases will spread such as mosquito borne malaria and resurgence of the Zika
Virus
 Some species will move further north or become more successful. Others such as polar
bears won’t be able to adapt and could become extinct