Global energy demand has been rising inexorably for well over 30 years – from around 8 billion tonnes of oil equivalent in the early 1990s to nearly 14 billion tonnes of oil equivalent today. The rate of increase was 2-3% per annum until 2000 but accelerated to nearer 5% per annum since then as large populations in China and India got wealthier.
Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and industry have risen by more than 2% in 2018 to reach new record highs, scientists have said.
Statoil is aiming to reduce its annual CO2 emissions by 3million tonnes by 2030.
Scientists at a Scottish university have secured funding for a four-year project to study the ability of complex rock strata beneath the North Sea to trap carbon dioxide emissions securely.
Kuwait’s first CO2 plant has officially launched.
Statoil said it is already close to achieving its aim of reducing CO2 emissions on the Norwegian Continental Shelf by up to 800,000 tonnes by 2020. The Norwegian operator said it has now decided to increase its target by 50% to 1.2million tonnes. Seven years ago the petroleum industry, led by Konkraft, agreed on a goal of improved energy efficiency of up to one million tonnes of CO2 between 2008 and 2020.
