French major, TotalEnergies, aims to lower the methane emissions intensity of its upstream oil and gas operations to 0.1% by 2030, after the company emitted 34 kilotons of methane overall in 2023, it said in a Sustainability and Climate Report published on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
TotalEnergies
Previously its target of 0.1% methane intensity – which expresses the amount of methane emitted as a percentage of oil or gas produced – applied only to upstream natural gas projects. The report did not calculate the company’s methane intensity ratios for 2023.
Methane is the second-biggest cause of climate change after carbon dioxide (CO2) and in the short term has a far higher warming effect, despite having a much shorter lifespan in the world’s atmosphere than other gases, according to scientists.
TotalEnergies also tightened its climate criteria for evaluating whether to invest in new oil and gas projects: The new emissions ceiling is 18 kilograms of CO2-equivalent per barrel of oil equivalent, down from 19kg CO2e/boe in 2023.
The company’s goals to limit the climate-warming gases released when clients burn its fuels – so-called Scope 3 emissions, covering 90% of overall releases – remain unchanged: no more than 400 million tons of CO2e by 2025 and 2030.
Measuring emissions by intensity rather than in absolute terms means a company can technically increase its fossil fuel output and overall emissions while using offsets or adding renewable energy or biofuels to its product mix.
TotalEnergies said more than half of the reduction of its carbon intensity by 2030 will come by growing its electricity business, notably renewable energy sales. Lower sales of petroleum products and higher natural gas production will contribute a further 10% reduction, according to the report.
The company will present its sustainability results in detail on Thursday.
The Centre for Food Safety and Agricultural Research (CEFSAR), an NGO, has urged the Federal Government to be mindful of the acceptance and deployment of genetically engineered crops, categorised as Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
GM potatoes
The group communicated this at a High-Level Dialogue on Food Security on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in Abuja, as a prelude to its symposium slated for Thursday.
The primary objectives of CEFSAR are to preserve native seed varieties, research sustainable agriculture practices, promote agro-ecological farming systems, support local and indigenous farming communities, and educate farmers and stakeholders in the immediate society.
The Federal Government recently approved the commercial release and open cultivation of a new maize variety, Tela Maize, a genetically modified maize.
The maize was developed by researchers at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, who say it resists fall armyworm, stem borers and tolerate moderate drought.
Speaking to the dialogue, Prof. Qrissturberg Amua, Executive Director, CEFSAR, said the essence was to initiate a stakeholders’ engagement, interrogate GMOs and the motives behind them.
“We first of all begin with all those who consume GMOs in the form of modern crops that are being promoted in this country.
“And also, if you look at the venue of this engagement, it is the Federal Ministry of Justice, and a lot of the intrusion that is coming through GMOs is coming through policies and laws.
“And a lot of these policies pass through clearance from this ministry.
“So, we believe that by initiating this conversion today, we are attracting attention into the concerns of GMOs that we roll forward,’’ he said.
Amua said he was hopeful that the advocacy would gain momentum because important stakeholders would begin to talk about it and draw the attention of the leadership and consumers to the dangers inherent in pushing for GMOs.
According to the academic, food security has an intricate nexus with national security as a “hungry man is angry man”.
“We have observed that part of issues of national security are born out of aggression between individuals or groups.
“But beyond that, a crime is fueled when the larger population is hungry; they don’t get food to eat and that translates to poverty.
“In this particular context, today, it is being said that food is scare in Nigeria, and it is because certain food production areas in the country have been attacked consistently for over a decade.
“And we realise that over this decade of attacks on food production areas, people have been displaced to initiate food scarcity; they have been pushed away from their farms.
“Because they cannot farm, we have food scarcity; so you can see, on one hand, national insecurity produces food insecurity.
“Now, take a reverse of it; because there is national food insecurity now, it is going to perpetrate further our national insecurity, in the sense that you have people taken away from their farms.
“A lot of farmers have been chased into camps.’’
He said that CEFSAR’s observations indicated that there had been a lot of misinformation or deception targeted at some people in government – those who were at critical point of driving policy.
He said that one of the aims of the dialogue and symposium was to redress the misinformation.
“So, that is one of the reasons we are initiating this conversation—to attract their attention; we are essentially partnering with government and in our own expectation, our partnership is on education.
“I am a professor, a scientist. I have conducted some of these research myself.
“So, I believe that with me involved in this conversation, the people in government who genuinely have been misinformed or deceived, will pick interest and begin to ask the relevant questions,’’ he said.
In his keynote address, Dr Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, said there was need to stick to agro-ecological methods of food production.
Represented by Mariam Bassey, Deputy Executive Director, Environment Rights/Action Friends of the Earth Nigeria, Bassey said that available data showed that 70 per cent of small-scale farmers fed the world through agro-ecological principles and techniques.
“So why does one want to jump into something that produces your food in a system with so many uncertainties? A system that laces your food with pesticides, chemicals and insecticides.
“We need to ban them; we don’t need GMOs. Nigeria and indeed, Africa, has all it takes to grow food, to produce food that can feed our people and also export to other countries,’’ he said.
On his part, Dr Segun Adebayo, Director of Operations, CEFSAR, said that GMOs contained chemicals that were harmful and predisposed humans to diseases.
According to him, everybody who eats is a stakeholder in the business of food.
“You are what you eat; you have to be concerned about what you eat; that is the reason we are having this engagement.
“The first step to being healthy is your food.”
Adebayo urged Nigerians to be wary of GMOs and promote the natural food, adding that the symposium was aimed at creating a balance of knowledge and give people the opportunity to choose what they consumed.
The Biden administration on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, unveiled drastic climate regulations designed to phase out gas cars and ensure the majority of passenger vehicles and light trucks sold in the U.S. by 2032 are electric or hybrid.
President Biden speaks during the U.N. climate change summit in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2021. Photo crdit: Pool/Reuters
It represents one of the most significant parts of its ambitious climate agenda as it imposes tight rules on tailpipes that it says will halve greenhouse gas emissions from cars.
But in a concession to automakers and labour unions the regulations will be rolled out more slowly than originally proposed.
The rules come as sales of electric vehicles, which are needed to meet the standards, have begun to slow.
“Three years ago, I set an ambitious target: that half of all new cars and trucks sold in 2030 would be zero-emission,” said President Joe Biden. ‘Together, we’ve made historic progress.
“Hundreds of new expanded factories across the country. Hundreds of billions in private investment and thousands of good-paying union jobs. And we’ll meet my goal for 2030 and race forward in the years ahead.”
Environmentalists, such as the Sierra Club, were quick to welcome the move.
But oil industry representatives called on Congress to block the standards and Republicans condemned the changes as removing choice from consumers.
The Trump campaign posted on X: “Crooked Joe Biden’s insane and radical EV mandates will ban your gasoline-powered vehicles and force you to buy expensive and unreliable electric vehicles.
“President Trump will always protect your freedom to drive what you want.”
Transportation is the largest source of domestic greenhouse gas emissions, with passenger cars (technically known as light duty vehicles) making the biggest contribution.
Auto manufacturers warned of lower sales growth when the EPA announced its proposals in April last year as part of its ambitious plan to cut planet-warming emissions from passenger vehicles.
Under its final rule, the EPA said the industry could meet the limits if 56 percent of new vehicle sales are electric by 2032, along with at least 13 percent for plug-in hybrids or other partially electric cars, as well as more efficient gasoline-powered cars that get more miles to the gallon.
So instead of pushing automakers to focus on EVs to meet tough new pollution targets, plug-in hybrids – which use both gas engines and rechargeable batteries – are part of the mix.
An association of some 78 organisations has expressed concern regarding what it terms an escalating intimidation of Project-Affected People (PAPs) and activists who are raising their voices against the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project in Tanzania.
StopEACOP campaigners
On March 11, 2024, nine PAPs from Golimba and Diloda villages in Hanang District, Tanzania, reported to the District Commissioner’s office after receiving an official summons from the authorities on the 9th of March. They reportedly arrived to find police officers waiting for them. The PAPs were then split up and interrogated for several hours.
“It has been reported to us that during these interrogations, the PAPs were asked why they are resisting and/or are opposed to the EACOP project, who is supporting them, and whether they know and/or are working with specific Tanzania Civil Society actors who have been working to shed light on the environmental harm and human rights violations associated with the EACOP project,” stated the group.
They were subsequently released with instructions to report back to the Katesh police station on March 14 for further interrogation. The PAPs reportedly complied with the order and reported back to the police station on March 14 with a legal support team present. They were then told to report back on March 28th, 2024. As of today, no charges have been filed.
“We are aware that when the PAPs arrived at the police station on March 11, officials took their phones away and have not given them back to date.
“This incident follows a disturbing pattern of arbitrary arrests and intimidation aimed at individuals who express criticism of the EACOP project. Notably, a similar situation occurred late last year when a Tanzanian activist was targeted and summoned to appear at the Stakishari police station in Dar es Salaam, upon returning from COP28.”
Consequently, the group wants the Tanzanian government to:
Immediately cease the harassment and intimidation of PAPs and activists who are exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
Ensure transparency and accountability in all matters related to the EACOP project.
They also called on TotalEnergies and CNOOC, the leading companies involved in EACOP, to:
Publicly denounce the human rights violations taking place in Tanzania in connection with the project.
Uphold their commitment to respecting communities and operating with the highest ethical standards.
Refrain from placing profits above the well-being of local populations and the environment.
They further urged the international human rights organisations to:
Take proactive measures to monitor and investigate these incidents and hold those responsible to account.
Provide support and protection to individuals who are targeted for speaking out against the EACOP project.
The EACOP pipeline spans 1443 km, running from Hoima in Uganda to Tanga in Tanzania. Due to worries about the project’s possible effects on the environment, the insufficient compensation measures for the displaced populations, and the livelihood losses, the project has encountered some resistance. The project’s compliance with human rights norms is questioned in light of these recent intimidating instances.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd has reiterated its commitment towards utilising the nation’s abundant gas resources to trigger industrialisation and economic development.
Executive Vice President, Upstream, NNPC Ltd, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan speaks during a Panel Session titled “What are the Choices for Upstream Strategies? at the ongoing 2024 CERAWeek Conference in Houston, the United States on Tuesday
NNPC Ltd’s Executive Vice President, Upstream, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, disclosed this during a Panel Session at the 2024 CERAWeek Conference in Houston, the United States on Tuesday, March 19.
Eyesan, whose session addressed the theme, “What are the Choices for Upstream Strategies?”, said Nigeria is a predominantly gas-rich country which boasts of over 200TCF of gas that can be leveraged for the country’s industrialisation and economic development.
She noted that NNPC Ltd plans to deepen gas utilisation domestically for industrialisation and ensuring that the entire country feels and optimises the use of the resource.
She said the Company is vigorously opening avenues for infrastructural gas development through various gas projects spread across the country.
“Our focus is how do we move from predominantly oil player to gas player and not just for gas for the sake of gas but gas for power generation, and for industrialisation,” she stated.
Eyesan observed that the NNPC Ltd is also focused on emission reduction and gas flare-out.
“We want to capture all gas flared, utilise it and for domestic use and ultimately, increase our energy transition footprints,” she said.
“NNPC is keying into the government agenda of using gas as a transition fuel and for us, we want to ensure not only the domestic gas market, but we also expand that to the region and internationally,” she said.
While calling on African countries to collaborate with one another in order to ensure even distribution of energy resources, Eyesan said collaboration is key as not all countries within the sub-region are endowed with equal with equal proportion of energy resources.
“For us to ensure that we continue to subsist within the sub-region, we must be willing to work collaboratively and ensure that there is even distribution of energy resources we have across the sub-region.”
On energy transition, Eyesan stated that the subject has evolved over the years, adding that, for sub-Saharan Africa, the narrative has been on how to address the energy poverty issue while for Nigeria, the NNPC Ltd. will continue to look at areas where it has competitive advantage to define the strategy.
Other energy experts on the panel are the Chief Upstream Strategist, Energy, S&P Global Commodity Insights, Bob Fryklund; President of Pathways Alliance, Kendall Dilling; and the Executive Vice President, Exploration and Production International, Equinor, Philippe Mathieu.
The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) has approved project preparation grants and set aside nearly $40 million to support new proposed initiatives in Brazil, Gabon, and Mexico, providing a boost to international efforts to put nature on a path to recovery this decade.
David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
The project preparation grants from the less than one-year-old fund, housed at the Global Environment Facility, will support strategies to ensure long-term financing, improved management, and expansion of protected areas, in partnership with Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
GEF CEO and Chairperson, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, celebrated the initial set of project preparation grants, which were approved seven months after the GBFF’s launch in Vancouver as a means to support action on the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (The Biodiversity Plan). Collectively, the new projects are set to boost the implementation of Targets 2, 3, 4, 9, 19, 22, and 23.
“I am thrilled to see the GBFF up and running and providing high-impact support to biodiverse countries whose work to protect nature is critically important to 2030 goals. I congratulate Brazil, Gabon, and Mexico for their efforts to prioritise meaningful initiatives that the GBFF can support in a way that builds on and amplifies financing from the Global Environment Facility trust fund related to biodiversity. This is an excellent start and there is much more good news for nature to come on the road to COP16 in Colombia,” Rodríguez said.
David Cooper, Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, welcomed the approval of the project preparation grants as a positive step ahead of the Cali-hosted Conference of the Parties, scheduled for Oct. 21 to Nov. 1.
“I hope that this early progress ahead of COP16 will inspire more proposals from countries and also encourage further donors to contribute to the new fund,” Cooper said.
About half of the funding set aside for the initial four initiatives is to support actions by Indigenous Peoples and local communities for the conservation, restoration, sustainable use, and management of biodiversity. The GBFF has an aspirational goal of ensuring that at least 20 percent of its funding goes to conservation action by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
The Nigerian Gas Association (NGA) has commended the Federal Government for the recent gazetting of three pivotal policy directives, heralding a monumental leap towards unlocking investments in the oil and gas sector.
Mr. Aka Nwokedi, President of the Nigerian Gas Association
These directives encompass multifaceted strategies, including introducing fiscal incentives for non-associated gas, midstream, and deepwater developments, streamlining the contracting process to compress the contracting cycle to six months, and applying local content requirements without hindering investments or cost competitiveness.
Mr. Aka Nwokedi, President of the Nigerian Gas Association, lauded these directives as transformative milestones poised to revolutionise Nigeria’s oil and gas sector energy landscape, with gas as a critical enabler.
He emphasised that the strategic introduction of fiscal incentives for non-associated gas, midstream, and deepwater developments is poised to attract substantial investments, bolster security measures, escalate production rates activities, amplify domestic gas utilisation, and refine the ease of doing business within the sector.
Furthermore, streamlining the contracting process to expedite the current 36-month contracting cycle to just six months is hailed as a game-changer. This would significantly reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks and enhance operational efficiency across the sector. This streamlined approach will catalyse project execution, optimise resource allocation, and foster a conducive environment for local and international investors.
Moreover, applying local content requirements without compromising investments or cost competitiveness underscores the government’s commitment to fostering sustainable development and empowering local stakeholders. These directives could pave the way for inclusive growth, knowledge transfer, and skill development within the Nigerian workforce by balancing local content obligations and investment incentives.
“We commend the Federal Government for its unwavering commitment to driving positive change and fostering a conducive environment for investment in the oil and gas sector,” stated Mr. Nwokedi. “These progressive policy directives mark a significant leap forward in our collective journey towards a sustainable energy future and bolstering security across Nigeria.”
Mr. Nwokedi reiterated the NGA’s steadfast commitment to collaborating with the Federal Government to actualise the nation’s strategic energy objectives, focusing on leveraging gas as a pivotal enabler of economic prosperity and national development.
The Nigerian Gas Association reaffirms its dedication to fostering collaboration with all stakeholders, including government agencies, industry players, and civil society organisations, to propel progress and prosperity in the oil and gas sector.
The NGA is a non-profit organisation committed to promoting the development and growth of the gas industry in Nigeria. Focusing on advocacy, education, and collaboration, NGA strives to advance the interests of its members and contribute to the sustainable development of Nigeria’s energy sector.
Osagie Okunbor meets Ghana’s Minister of Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, at the 7th Nigeria International Energy Summit in Abuja.
Managing Director, The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Osagie Okunbor (left), receiving his award of participation from Ghana’s Minister of Energy, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, at the 7th Nigeria International Energy Summit in Abuja
SNEPCo MD, Elohor Aiboni, receives Ministers and other dignitaries at the Shell booth during the 7th Nigeria International Energy Summit in Abuja.
L-R: Minister of State for Gas Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo; Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Heineken Lokpobiri; Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), Elohor Aiboni; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Amb. Nicholas Agbo Ella; Special Project Manager, Shell, Ed Ubong; and Tony Attah, former Managing Director of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG)…visit the Shell exhibition stand at the 7th Nigeria International Energy Summit in Abuja
Annually, there is a global international Equinox Earth Day Celebration to renew our collective commitment to honour the earth and promote peace for all to live and enjoy the earth that belongs to us all.
Nigeria’s population is said to be equivalent to 2.55% of the total world population
As we celebrate the Equinox Earth Day on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, we must hold on to our struggle for freedom and independence with the strong conviction that the earth belongs to everyone. This day reminds us that Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians and not the ruling class oligarchy who are working in connivance with foreigners to appropriate it as personal property.
The Nigerian ruling elites who are working with their foreign capitalist fundamentalists to appropriate our lands know the truth that the earth belongs to us all. Therefore, as we celebrate the global Equinox Earth Day, we must all rise in resistance to the Nigerian ruling elites and their foreign collaborators to monopolise the earth that belongs to us all.
This year’s Equinox Earth Day Celebration reminds us that until we stand up in unionism to reject the practice of few owning the earth that is a natural gift from God to all of us, we will continue to be enslaved by them. We must all know that the solution to peace and conflicts that have eluded Nigeria, and the world is our inability to collectively stop a few from having absolute control and ownership of the earth that belongs to us all.
And, until we collectively pursue this goal, inequality, poverty, and conflict will continue unabated with the ruling class oligarchy pretending not to know they are the real problem.
As we celebrate this global event, we must reflect on the teachings of Henry George that the earth belongs to everyone born on earth to live in comfort and peace. It must not be the property of oligarchs, capitalists, and fascists.
By Audu Liberty Oseni, Coordinator, MAWA Foundation
Activists have frowned at submissions made on Monday, March 18, 2024, by Saudi Aramco CEO, Amin Nasser, that the energy transition is failing, and policymakers should abandon the “fantasy” of phasing out oil and gas, as demand for fossil fuels is expected to continue to grow in the coming years.
Amin Nasser, CEO of Saudi Aramco, speaks at the 2024 CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston, Texas, on March 18, 2024. Photo credit: F. Carter Smith, Bloomberg, Getty Images
“In the real world, the current transition strategy is visibly failing on most fronts as it collides with five hard realities,” Nasser said during a panel interview at the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference in Houston, Texas.
“A transition strategy reset is urgently needed, and my proposal is this: We should abandon the fantasy of phasing out oil and gas and instead invest in them adequately reflecting realistic demand assumptions,” the CEO said to applause from the audience.
The Paris-based International Energy Agency forecast last year that peak oil, gas and coal demand would come in 2030. Nasser said demand is unlikely to peak anytime soon, let alone by that year. Nasser suggested that the IEA is focusing on demand in the U.S. and Europe and needs to focus on the developing world as well.
Nasser said alternative energy sources have been unable to displace hydrocarbons at scale, despite the world investing more than $9.5 trillion over the past two decades. Wind and solar currently supply less than 4% of the world’s energy, while total electric vehicle penetration is less than 3%, he said.
Reacting to Nasser’s claims, environmental watchdog group, 350.org, said he (Nasser) wasn’t an isolated case as other oil executives at the event claimed that a rapid phase out of fossil fuels is “not based on reality”.
Jeff Ordower, 350.org’s North America Director, said: “The fossil fuel industry continues to make distorted claims about our energy future. They work night and day to torpedo a transition to renewable energy and then have the audacity to critique the slowness of the transition itself. CERAWeek should highlight a global vision toward a clean and equitable future, and instead, we get talking points from the 1970s.
“Fossil fuel emissions account for more than 90% of global emissions and this industry announces obscene profits year over year. The fossil fuel industry is thriving, when people across the world are having to choose between eating and heating. We should be skeptical of any solutions touted by the industry because it’s clear they don’t have a real interest in halting the climate crisis.
“What these executives are purposefully leaving out are the trillions of dollars they profit from every year, that instead, could be invested in the transition they call unrealistic.
“Wind and solar energy initiatives are producing record amounts of clean electricity year after year and getting cheaper every day. We currently do have the tools and technology. We do have the resources; we just need to redirect them. We must make the fossil fuel industry and rich nations who have been by far the greatest ones to blame for the climate crisis pay.”
Meanwhile, the share of hydrocarbons in the global energy mix has barely fallen in the 21st century from 83% to 80%, Nasser said. Global demand has increased by 100 million barrels of oil equivalent per day during the same period and will reach an all-time high this year, the CEO said.
Gas has grown 70% since the start of the century, Nasser said. The transition from coal to gas is responsible for two-thirds of the reductions in carbon emissions in the U.S., he said.
“This is hardly the future picture some have been painting,” Nasser said. “Even they are starting to acknowledge the importance of oil and gas security.”
Developing nations in the global south, meanwhile, will drive oil and gas demand as prosperity rises in those nations, which represent more than 85% of the world’s population, the CEO said. These nations receive less than 5% of the investment targeting renewable energy, he said.
Nasser said the world should focus more on reducing emissions from oil and gas in addition to renewables. The CEO said efficiency improvements alone over the past 15 years have reduced global energy demand by almost 90 million barrels per day oil equivalent. Wind and solar, meanwhile, have substituted only 15 million barrels over the same period, he said.
“We should phase in new energy sources and technologies when they are genuinely ready, economically competitive and with the right infrastructure,” Nasser said.
