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How Much Have the Oil Supermajors Contributed to Climate Change? Estimating the Carbon Footprint of the Oil Refining and Petroleum Products Sales Sectors

Summary/Abstract

The document discusses the methodology and findings of a study aimed at estimating the global carbon footprint of the oil refining and petroleum products sales sectors. It assesses the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions of the six largest publicly traded oil companies, known as the “Oil Supermajors,” over a period from 1980 to 2019. The study utilizes a combination of quantitative methods and open-source models to calculate country-specific emission factors and the overall impact of these sectors on climate change. The findings highlight the significant contributions of the oil supermajors to global carbon emissions and suggest the need for transparent and standardized carbon accounting.

Jiarui Chen et al. "How Much Have the Oil Supermajors Contributed to Climate Change? Estimating the Carbon Footprint of the Oil Refining and Petroleum Product Sales Sectors." Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), March 2022.

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March 2022
Jiarui Chen, Perrine Toledano, Martin Dietrich Brauch
Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI)
Synthesis Report
Global
Source Attribution
Source Attribution → Corporate Emissions

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