Our role

We were one of the first energy companies to recognise the climate change threat and to call for action. We understand we have a role to play in helping address this challenge: firstly, by managing emissions from the operations we control or operate, which were approximately 75 million tonnes of GHGs in 2008 (see Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions). Secondly, by helping customers manage their emissions from the use of the transport fuels and other energy products we provide. These emissions are typically more than 690 million tonnes of CO2 a year or approximately 2.4% of the annual CO2 emissions from fossil fuels (and approximately 1.5% of annual man-made GHG emissions). And thirdly, by advocating the wide-ranging policy changes needed from governments.

SHELL’S SIX CO2 PATHWAYS

We have identified six main ways in which we are determined to make a difference.

In our own operations, we aim to:

1. Work to use energy more efficiently. This includes making the operational changes and investments needed so that our refineries and oil and gas production facilities run more efficiently, including further reducing the amount of gas they flare.
2. Build our capability in CCS. As the IPCC showed, despite its costs, CCS is one of the critical technologies needed to buy time in the race to prevent emissions from rising too far, too fast. We are involved in a number of research-scale projects and met our aim of having at least one project storing CO2 underground during 2008 (see CO2SINK). We are also doing early preparatory work for larger-scale demonstration projects, like the Quest project in Canada. If it were to go ahead, Quest would capture and store underground around one million tonnes of CO2 a year from our oil sands upgrader. We are also working on a project in the Netherlands to store up to 400,000 tonnes of CO2 a year from our Pernis refinery in depleted gas fields.
3. Continue to invest in fundamental research and development to deliver new, breakthrough technologies that will further increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions from our operations.

To help our customers reduce their emissions we aim to:

4. Develop lower CO2 sources of energy, including increasing supplies of natural gas and developing transport fuels, including biofuels, that have lower CO2 emissions on a “well-to-wheel” basis (see More sustainable transport).
5. Help transport and industrial customers use less energy and emit less CO2 for example by providing advanced Shell Fuel Economy formula and Shell FuelSave fuels and lower friction lubricants, and encouraging them to change their driving habits (see More sustainable transport).

To influence the policy debate, we aim to:

6. Continue to work with governments, industry, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to build support for effective policies for CO2 that will speed up the pace of change in the energy system.