At the same time as we develop new alternative fuel technologies, the oil industry is changing, and the climate impact of fossil fuel production is being better understood. Unconventional oil production, for instance from the Athabasca oil sands, could result in increases in the carbon intensity of both oil extraction and refining. In conventional oil production, flaring remains a standard practice in many regions, resulting in enormous waste of potential resource and environmental impact. We’re interested in understanding the carbon intensity of the oil supply chain and in how regulation could drive efficiencies without unintended consequences.
Related work
This report published by the Carnegie Foundation and co-authored by Chris considered the changing face of the oil industry: Uncovering oil’s unknowns
Chris worked with Adam Brandt at Stanford University to support the development of the Oil Production Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimator (OPGEE): OPGEE
Chris led three studies undertaken by the ICCT for the Directorate General for Climate Action of the European Union on the carbon intensity of the oil supply to Europe, on options for regulating that carbon intensity and on opportunities to support upstream emissions reductions:
- Upstream emissions of fossil fuel feedstocks consumed in the European Union;
- Crude oil greenhouse gas emissions calculation methodology for the Fuel Quality Directive;
- The reduction of upstream greenhouse gas emissions from flaring and venting