Module 5

An Environmental Dimension of the Qatar's Oil & Gas Industry

Introduction

This module covers the environmental dimension of the oil and gas industry, highlighting the sustainable energy development solutions and pledges proposed by the field’s big players such as QatarEnergy, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, SLB, and more. We use the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) as a benchmark to evaluate the energy companies’ efforts in this regard.

We draw from publicly available documents produced by oil and gas companies in Qatar such as company statements and sustainability reports as well as coverage and relevant articles by news outlets. For primary research and real-life experiences, we used our interviews from key personnel who have intimate knowledge of the company’s green energy and climate action initiatives and practices to learn more about and critically assess these sustainable goals and solutions while comparing them with the respective company's present and ongoing progress.

In writing this module, we highlight the discrepancies between what a company plans to accomplish and its actual progress. Qatar is built on the wealth of its fossil fuel resources. The country’s oil and gas industry, just like many other industries, contributes to the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) that affect the environment. The country acknowledges these unintended negative consequences and aims to balance them with responsible economic development. As spelled out in the Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2023), the country aims to do a more comprehensive development that includes four pillars: human development, social development, economic development, and environmental development, underscoring a concern for sustainability and environmental protection and preservation.

Additionally, several years ago the United Nation launched an ambitious plan to guide its member states to achieving more sustainable development paths known as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Of the seventeen UN SDGs, this module focuses on the seventh (Affordable and Clean Energy) and thirteenth (Climate Action) goals, two crucial and worthy goals to achieve in the environment we live in today. Let’s look at how the oil and gas industry in Qatar measures up against these goals.

The UN SDGs and the Qatar National Vision 2030

A couple of years ago, the United Nations launched an ambitious initiative, known as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), to promote sustainable development. It consists of seventeen goals that encompass various aspects to make human lives better and practice development that is more friendly both to the planet and people. In 2015, 193 countries adopted the UN SDGs and the organization’s aim to achieve all the goals by 2030 (United Nations, n.d.).

In some ways, the UN SDGs are complementary to the Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030, which is Qatar’s national sustainable development framework that spells out the country’s values, plans, and implementation strategies. Through the QNV 2030, Qatar aims to advance and transform Qatar into a country capable of sustaining its own economic, social, and environmental development for its current and future generations. Known as “intergenerational justice,” this vision ensures that the rights of future generations are not compromised or threatened by the depletion of non-renewable resources without being compensated by the “creation of new sources of renewable wealth” (General Secretariat for Development Planning in the State of Qatar, 2008, p. 5).

Our interviewee TM, who worked for QatarEnergy, share, “Sustainability is a big thing and is gaining some kind of focus in our companies and is pretty much aligned with Qatar vision 2030. Not only when it comes to environments, but also in different aspects of the way we are operating our facilities.” This provides an indication that most employees in Qatar, while aware of their company’s alignment to the QNV 2030, are not as familiar with the UN SDGs. He also said, “We have so many initiatives in terms of sustainability, like our environmental group, for example, are working closely with our Ministry of Environment, Municipality, and Environment on realizing some of the targets from the Government of Qatar, when it comes to certain aspects of industry, like for example, the emissions, the water discharges to the sea, and the greenhouse gasses. So, we have so many programs and they have been very active in trying to achieve the objectives.”

The Qatar National Vision 2030 rests on four pillars: human development, social development, economic development, and environmental development. When it comes to economic development and the protection of the environment, the latter tends to be sacrificed for the sake of the former as development patterns often have negative effects on the natural resources and environment of a country. However, using the QNV 2030, Qatar sets out to balance economic development and environmental protection. Because Qatar’s economy greatly depends on the oil, gas, and petrochemical industry, it would be impossible to completely avoid damaging the environment, pushing Qatar to commit to “enforcing international standards for environmental protection when designing and implementing its industrial projects” while also committing to future development plans that are compatible with conserving and protecting the environment (Qatar National Vision, 2008, p. 8).

Consequently, to sustain long-term economic growth, Qatar needs to be careful and manage wisely its exhaustible resources. The QNV 2030 promises “optimum exploitation of hydrocarbon resources which establishes a balance between reserves and production, and between economic diversification and the degree of depletion” and developing an energy industry that harnesses and provides cleaner energy (Qatar National Vision, 2008, p. 24).

Specifically, the vision states, “We need to care for our natural environment for it was entrusted to us by God to use with responsibility and respect for the benefit of humankind. If we nurture our environment, it will nurture us” (Qatar National Vision, 2008, p. 30).

The seventh UN SDG aims that by 2030, the world would need to (quoted below in full from) (United Nations, n.d.):

  1. Ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services.

  2. Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

  3. Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.

  4. Enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology.

  5. Expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, particularly least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programs of support.

Each of the five goals has an indicator to measure success. For example, to ensure universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services, the UN aims to increasing the “proportion of population with access to electricity” and “the proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technologies” (United Nations, n.d.). The indicator for the second goal is the increased “share of renewable energy in the total final energy consumption” (United Nations, n.d.). For the third target of doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency, the UN uses an indicator of measuring energy intensity in terms of primary energy and GDP (United Nations, n.d.). A definition of energy intensity level of primary energy “is the ratio between energy supply and gross domestic product measured at purchasing power parity. Energy intensity is an indication of how much energy is used to produce one unit of economic output. Lower ratio indicates that less energy is used to produce one unit of output” (wordbank.org, 2023). For the fourth goal, the indicator is to ensure that the “international financial flows into developing countries to support clean energy research and development and renewable energy production, including hybrid systems” would increase (United Nations, n.d.). For the final goal, the indicator is increased installation of “renewable energy-generating capacity in developing countries (in watts per capita)” (United Nations, n.d.).

The thirteenth UN SDG goal is to “take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts” (United Nations, n.d.). Countries involved in fulfilling this SDG focus on multiple factor such as food security and production, terrestrial and wetland ecosystems, freshwater resources, human health, and key economic sectors and services (United Nations, n.d.). Qatar has been an active member of this international community and have announced it is working in accordance with the following targets in place by the UN (Planning and Statistics Authority, 2023). The breakdown of the thirteenth UN SDG (quoted below in full) is as follows (United Nations, n.d.)

  1. 1Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

  2. Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.

  3. Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.

  4. Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible

  5. Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities.

Similar to SDG 7, SDG 13 has measurable indicators. The indicators for the first goal are the low “number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons due to disasters per 100,000 population,” the increased “number of countries and local governments that are adopting and implementing national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030,” and increased “proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies” (United Nations, n.d.). To help achieve the second goal, the number of countries with nationally determined contributions (NDCs), long-term strategies, and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” is hope to be increased (United Nations, n.d.). For the third target, the UN is measuring the “extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment” is improved (United Nations, n.d.). The fourth target refers to the “amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025” (United Nations, n.d.). The final target has the set indicator of measuring the increased number of least developed countries and small island developing States with NDCs, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change” (United Nations, n.d.).

How the Qatar oil and gas industry measures up to the UN SDG seventh goal

In 2021, Qatar Petroleum was renamed to QatarEnergy (QE) to showcase itself as a more holistic energy transition partner in the context of changing trends. QatarEnergy is committed to adding more renewable capacity such as solar power in Qatar by 2030 and to expanding their LNG capacity to support their global partners in switching to cleaner energy sources. Additionally, in accordance with its national vision, the state-owned group Qatar Solar Energy is a leading manufacturer of solar power components and just last year opened its largest integrated production facility for solar energy systems in the Middle East and North Africa region.

A year earlier in 2020, QatarEnergy established “ambitious yet realistic” mission reduction targets for 2030 for energy efficiency measures of 25% reduction in GHG intensity of their LNG facilities. This reduction in greenhouse gases within the company’s facilities connects to the fourth target of SDG 7 that aims to promote the investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology as QatarEnergy works towards increases the efficiency of their LNG facilities while keeping its environmental impact in mind. Adding to that, while LNG could also be considered a clean energy investment, it is inherently a fossil fuel and should be considered as a cleaner alternative as we transition into a carbon-free way of life.

Their future aims include an expansion of solar PV capacity within Qatar and nature-based carbon sinks for climate change mitigation and adaptation such as blue carbon plans that will support biodiversity, which also connects to the thirteenth SDG.

The company has made great strides since then with the establishment of an 800 MW capacity Siraj solar power plant and reaching an agreement to partner up with Chevron and Pavilion Energy to improve GHG emissions accounting and reporting (Fernandopulle, 2023). Qatar has built Al Kharsaah, the pioneering solar power plant in Qatar, which covers 10% of Qatar’s peak electricity demand. This power plant helps Qatar achieve the seventh SDG goal of providing access to more affordable and modern energy services to the country. The project is owned and operated by a consortium jointly owned by France’s TotalEnergies & Japan’s Marubeni (40%) and Qatar’s Siraj Energy (60%), which is a joint venture between QatarEnergy and QEWC (Qatar Electricity & Water Co.). The Al Kharsaah Solar PV Independent Power Producer (IPP) Project, Qatar’s first large-scale solar power plant (800 MWp), is set to produce energy with no greenhouse gas emissions, which will reduce its environmental footprint by avoiding 26 million metric tons of CO2 (TotalEnergies.com, 2023b). Moreover, this connects to the target of investing into cleaner energy infrastructure and increasing the country’s share of renewable energy.

In late 2022, this power plant was completed and has since been connected to the country’s national grid. Aimed to be the world’s largest solar power plant, this project covers 10 square kilometers and takes complete advantage of the region's large amount of sunshine. The plant was also constructed using half-cut bifacial solar modules, which are essentially normal solar cells that have been sliced in half using a laser which in turn helps them perform better and last longer than the average solar module. With a semi-automated cleaning system that will clean the sand and dust off singular solar modules once every four days, the plant has a maximum capacity of 800 MWp and generates enough energy for approximately 55,000 Qatari households. The Japanese company Marubeni stated this plant will help Qatar in curtailing the domestic use of oil and natural gas, a valuable export to earning foreign currency. The plant will allow for the diversification of power sources to reduce domestic consumption of these resources (Marubeni.com, n.d.). Thus, while allowing for cleaner energy consumption within Qatar, it is also a strategic financial move to increase oil and natural gas exports. This admirably illustrates the QNV 2030’s mission to allow for economic progress and environmental development to grow as one.

One of the consumers of natural gas is Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa). According to its company’s website, Qatar’s access to electricity is almost 100%, which meets the first goal of the UN seventh SDG. While Kahramaa has already installed 45 electricity and water service boxes at various locations, it is also currently laying down two types of power lines HV (2,400km) and MV (2,400km) under its network development project. This includes three phases: phase one consists of covering new areas where all the plots of land are still awaiting development, phase two aims to cover areas which have been developed only partially, and phase three will include areas that have almost been developed but still have some plots lying empty or undeveloped (Kahramaa, n.d.).

France’s oil and gas company TotalEnergies (formally known as Total) plans to achieve net zero emissions worldwide by 2050 and build a portfolio of activities in renewables and electricity (TotalEnergies.com, 2023a). Our interviewee DS, a geoscience data manager at TotalEnergies, shared, “We don't call ourselves an oil and gas company anymore. We call ourselves an energy company because we want to be together with our stakeholders. With all our human beings in the world to make the world more even, we know we need energy, but there must be a way to have it in a sustainable way.” At the end of June 2022, TotalEnergies’ gross renewable electricity generation installed capacity was close to 12 GW. While this proves some focus on the renewable energy industry by the company, it might not nearly be enough. For 2030, TotalEnergies states that their energy mix would be composed of 50% gas, 30% petroleum, 15% renewable energy, and 5% biomass and hydrogen. However, this would mean that 80% of their energy mix would still consist of non-renewable energy, still short of the seventh SDG goal number 2 to increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

Additionally, in line with Qatar’s plan to be the world’s top LNG producer by 2030, Qatar aims to develop the North Field LNG Expansion project, which will increase LNG production in two phases. The first phase of the North Field project is expected to increase capacity by 43% from 77 million tons per annum (mtpa) to 110 mtpa by 2026. The second phase, named the North Field South project (NFS), will further increase the production capacity from 110 mtpa to 126 mtpa by 2028, a 64% increase. With the construction of six LNG mega trains, opportunities for U.S.-based energy companies to offer projects of cleaner, greener, and smarter technologies to these facilities will be provided (Trade.gov, 2022). This project too shows evidence of Qatar’s aim within the QNV 2030 to meet economic growth with environmental progress, generating more LNG that is safer for the environment while creating more opportunities for foreign investments within the state. This is also connected to the third and fourth target of UN SDG 7; creating international cooperation and relations to garner more access to clean energy and the investment in energy infrastructure.

For decarbonization, the Italian oil and gas company Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi (ENI) discussed in their sustainability reports, several projects planned around the world, such as in Africa, where ENI signed agreements with a few countries for biofuel projects in order to supply renewable energy. This is also an important element that can contribute to a cleaner energy transition in the transport sector. In 2022, ENI began exporting used cooking oil such as vegetable oil for biorefining from Kenya. The biofuels generated come from raw materials like agri-feedstock that are produced from polluted or abandoned land, as well as waste like Used Cooking Oil (UCO) and agro-industrial waste (eni.com, n.d.). This connects to SDG 7’s fourth and fifth targets. The AICS (Italian Agency for Development Cooperation) and the Embassy of Italy in Nairobi have launched a program called SEMAKENYA II to promote these biofuels within the country.

In June 2022, ENI was selected by QatarEnergy as an international partner in the North Field East (NFE) expansion project. This $28.75 billion investment expands Qatar’s LNG export capacity from currently 77 million tons per annum (MTPA) to 110 MTPA and integrates carbon capture and sequestration (eni.com, n.d.). This is also a strategic step for ENI as it opens access to a world leading LNG and natural gas producer and adds the cleaner energy source of LNG to its business portfolio, which simultaneously connects to SDG 7.

In ExxonMobil’s 2023 progress report, the company states their intention of investing approximately $17 billion in 2022-2027 on lower-emission initiatives to lowering greenhouse gas emissions. This investment is targeted at reducing emissions in their own operations and others’ emissions through “commercializing and scaling carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, and biofuels” (ExxonMobil, 2023, p. 6). The company has pledged to achieving net-zero operated Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions (the emissions owned and controlled by ExxonMobil itself) by 2050 (Slavin, 2021). However, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to affect global energy markets, oil and gas companies are found under pressure to pump more to increase supply and bring down prices.

One of the locations where ExxonMobil plans to increase fuel output is in the Permian Basin where the controversial and environmentally damaging technique of hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” has fueled a resurgence in the area’s energy productivity, helping turn it into the world’s most productive oil field (Winograd, 2022). While Exxon Mobil works to increase this output in the Permian, it claims that it is simultaneously undertaking efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions there. But that pledge only accounts for the emissions that result from operating in the basin. It does not account for the emissions that come from burning the product it produces. “That comes back to the demand equation and what alternatives people have to meet their needs,” CEO Darren Woods said. “Until you have good solutions to address that demand, those emissions will be generated” (Winograd, 2022). This quote illustrates that however well-intentioned Exxon Mobil to decreasing GHG emissions, the company will still emit them.

One of the ways the company plans to reduce its GHG emissions in the Permian Basin is to electrify operations, i.e., powering some of the equipment with electricity instead of diesel fuel. So far, the company says it has replaced almost 10 million gallons of diesel across the Permian Basin. And yet, currently only 40% of the electric power is coming from carbon-neutral sources (Winograd, 2022). This proves the company still has got a long road ahead to improvement.

How the Qatar oil and gas industry measures up to the thirteenth UN SDG goal

TotalEnergies, one of the oil and gas companies operating in Qatar, plans to invest $13-16 billion a year, where half would be utilized for oil operations, and the other half for promoting growth in the production of LNG as well as “scaling up biofuels and biogas production” and “pioneering in mass production of clean H2 and synthetic fuels” (TotalEnergies.com, 2023a). The 50% allocation for this renewable energy production was a made in 2021, which was an increase from its previous commitment of 30%.

TotalEnergies is a member of the UN Global Compact, and it has been supporting the UN SDGs since 2016. For example, it launched the Oil & Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), a consortium of oil and gas company executives, in 2017. The companies represented by OGCI collectively account for one third of the world’s oil and gas production and they have embarked on a new strategy for reaching net zero scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050 (TotalEnergies.com, 2023b). Since 2017, the OGCI group has made 23 investments to reduce GHG emissions with its “total realized GHG impact 15.8 MtCO2e” in 2021 which is the equivalent to eliminating the emissions from approximately 3.4 million cars for one year (OGCI, 2022). Other concreate steps they have taken towards this goal include Qnergy providing “instrument air solutions to displace methane emissions from pneumatic devices” in order to help companies improve their efficiency in operations and reduce emissions (OGCI, 2020).

QatarEnergy (QE) is committed to providing affordable and cleaner energy to facilitate the transition to a low carbon economy. They believe natural gas will continue to play a key role. However, managed effectively, natural gas combustion causes the least GHGs of all fossil fuels. QatarEnergy is currently responsible for about 40% of the energy-related emissions in the country. The company has conducted a fuel-switching from coal to gas in power generation, which is a good step towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions as gas generates lower levels of emissions (QatarEnergy, 2022). QatarEnergy’s portfolio has also included investments in alternative clean energy sources such as with the expansion of solar power plant mentioned above. QatarEnergy stated in its 2020 sustainability report that it is building an additional carbon capture sequestration capacity over 9 MTPA to reduce CO2 emissions from their LNG upstream facilities (QatarEnergy, 2022). Moreover, QE also pledges to reduce almost all their methane emissions from its operations by 2030.

QatarEnergy is committed to providing affordable and cleaner energy to facilitate the transition to a low carbon economy. They believe natural gas will continue to play a key role. However, managed effectively, natural gas combustion causes the least GHGs of all fossil fuels. QatarEnergy is currently responsible for about 40% of the energy-related emissions in the country. The company has conducted a fuel-switching from coal to gas in power generation, which is a good step towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions as gas generates lower levels of emissions (QatarEnergy, 2022). QatarEnergy’s portfolio has also included investments in alternative clean energy sources such as with the expansion of solar PV capacity as mentioned above.

Qatargas, a subsidiary of QE, has a total annual production capacity of 77 million tons of LNG. As a leading LNG producer, Qatargas consumes 99.2% fuel gas and 0.8% electricity from Kahramaa. This shows that Qatar still relies heavily on fossil fuel. In their 2021 sustainability report, Qatargas announced the launching of a long-term environmental strategy, a 60% reduction in methane emissions through their implemented SMART LDAR program, and a 19% reduction in gas flaring. This program provides surveillance and detection of methane leaks from piping components, which leads to faster and more efficient repairs in these identified sources.

While the SMART LDAR program may take a while to produce results, Qatargas has done something more concreted. The company held a series of workshops at local schools and colleges to introduce students to the concept of My Carbon Footprint in 2022. More than 300 students attended the awareness sessions and were given the opportunity to calculate their individual carbon footprint using a specially designed Personal Carbon Footprint (PCF) calculator (Qatargas, 2022). Their Go Green Outreach Innovative Personal Carbon Footprint Calculator Raises awareness on personal responsibility in the fight against climate change. This initiative addresses target 3 of SDG 13 that aims to improve the education and awareness surrounding climate change and mitigation.

Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi (ENI) has carried out decarbonization efforts with a variety of forestry projects as well. These are primarily based in Africa in countries such as Zambia, Ghana, and Angola. In their report, ENI highlighted that its forestry projects are planned within the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) governance scheme, which entails environmental conservation and improving CO2 storage capacity, along with supporting local families through sustainable projects. The company is also in search of more initiatives and partners such as NGOs in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, with the aim of reaching a carbon credit portfolio to offset more than 20 million tons of CO2 by 2030.

Baker Hughes has acted towards a more sustainable future and to combat climate change. Its corporate responsibility report in 2020 states that the greenhouse gas emissions has decreased by 15%, as there has been a change in scope 1 and 2 emissions compared to 2019 base year (Baker Hughes Co, 2020).

ConocoPhillips recognizes the importance of taking initiative towards combatting climate change and how acting towards change ensures an environmentally sustainable economic development. In ways such as investing in charitable initiatives towards UN SDGs, specifically 1.1 million dollars for SDG 13 as stated in 2021 ConocoPhillips sustainability report. This includes projects such as the Houston Emancipation Park Conservancy. Moreover, they are working with IPIECA (International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association), the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues to support their vision of accomplishing their SDG goals.

ConocoPhillips has established a “Transition Mandate” which consists of reliably and responsibly delivering oil and gas production to meet transition demand and working towards net zero scope 1 and 2 emissions (ConocoPhillips, 2021). While this is stated as mandate, it is less of a decree if the company is only promising to do these things on its own. Their targets have taken place throughout the years so that by 2021 some of their successes included reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 40-50% from 2016, a developed multi-disciplinary Low Carbon Technologies and an acquisition and integration of Concho resources and Shell Permian. Furthermore, to ensure a culture of increased sustainable responsibility, ConocoPhillips has based an annual cash bonus that depends on the individual’s strategic sustainable development which can involve managing climate-related risk, which is also mentioned in its 2021 sustainability report.

ExxonMobil recognizes that it is vital to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), one of which is tackling climate action, in its sustainability report. The way they address these risks of climate change is through continuous investment in lower emission technologies like carbon capture and advanced biofuels and taking initiative on addressing plastic waste and having no reportable plastic pellet losses for two consecutive years. Furthermore, 250 million dollars were invested worldwide to ensure development in various areas such as healthcare, disaster relief, education, and economy. In addition, some of ExxonMobil’s strategies towards climate action are mitigating emissions within the company operations, providing products to help customers reduce their emissions, being able to successfully develop and deploy scalable technology solutions and proactively engage and comply in climate related policy (ExxonMobil, 2023).

For SLB (previously known as Schlumberger), sustainability is fundamental in their energy transition to provide their services in the most efficient and safe manner. Some of the initiatives they have taken regarding sustainability is their commitment to net zero scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2050. Reduced emissions and energy use was done in ways such as improving and partially automating their GHG emissions data collection. Minimizing the consumption and decarbonizing operations by investing in new energy technology ventures ensures a roadmap to net zero carbon footprint. Some of these transition technologies include minimizing well construction CO2 footprint, addressing fugitive and vented methane emissions, electrification of infrastructure, reducing or eliminating flaring and full field development solutions (SLB, n.d.).

Our interviewee RC, who works for SLB in Qatar, shared the following reflection, “We all have to work towards sustainability but responsible sustainability. We work for an industry which is responsible for the energy demand for the entire planet. The entire planet depends on what we do, and we cannot shut off everything right now, the planet will shut off. So, what the industry has done or Schlumberger has done and I'm not authorized to speak on behalf of somebody but I can tell you, overall they're all talking about moving or transitioning to energy. Now, and by 2050, the zero-carbon attainment that everyone has committed to, Schlumberger being part of it are the steps taken in the right direction.” RC adds, “If you look at Schlumberger, we have started a completely new business. We are looking at carbon sequestration, we are looking at hydrogen, we're looking at different energies which we will gradually, possibly transition to. Sustainability is a leader because that's something that's easy to do right now. Without even transitioning, you can help capture the carbon, right now, with what you have.”

Conclusion

As discussed above, several oil and gas companies that are operating in the State of Qatar have pledged to address climate change through reducing their scope 1 and 2 emissions and transition to more renewable energy. A few have done concrete actions to address it.  

As mentioned in the QNV 2030, Qatar is and has aimed to implement more comprehensive development within the State with a focus on sustainability, both economic and environmental, and the UN SDGs. This has included the Al Kharsaah solar power plant initiative which covers 10% of Qatar’s peak electricity demand and helps to achieve the SDG 7’s targets of providing access to more affordable and modern energy services as well as Qatargas’s SMART LDAR program and Go Green Outreach that works to achieve the goals of SDG 13. 

A common strategy employed to showcase energy transition and diversified energy portfolios is changing company names such as Qatar Petroleum changing to QatarEnergy, Total to TotalEnergies, and Schlumberger to SLB. This can be compared to what British Petroleum did as well by changing its name to Beyond Petroleum. However, at the heart of it all, these companies continue to be oil and gas companies which rely on fossil fuels and focus on growing economically and meeting demands. These are the aspects that dictate their approach to the UN SDGs. Overall, they still prioritize profits over environmental protection. 

A prime example of how it will take time for these companies to truly progress in terms of climate action is ExxonMobil announcing its intentions of a $17 billion investment to reduce its emissions while continuing to use hydraulic fracturing to increase its fuel output. The company has admitted that because more efficient eco-friendly solutions have not yet been found to address its existing and increasing demand, it will continue to generate GHG emissions at a dangerous rate. 

This year, One Earth published a study that was the first to quantify the economic burden caused by the world’s leading oil companies, calculating that they owe at least $209 billion in annual climate reparations in order to compensate the communities most affected as well as the wildfires, droughts, and rising sea levels, among a long and winding list of other climate disasters caused by their emissions and false promises (Lakhani, 2023). Among the environmentally-corrupt companies, those that can afford the reparations are Saudi Aramco – the company with the highest emissions, ExxonMobil, BP, TotalEnergies, ConocoPhillips, Shell, and Chevron as the annual amounts they owe are only fractions of their annual profits (Lakhani, 2023). These reparations would be a significant step towards achieving some climate justice as the planet deteriorates. 

Although these various noteworthy and striking projects have been launched and put into motion, at the base of it all, there have been fewer accomplishments and instead, more shallow promises and mission statements.

Sources