As heatwaves, drought, wildfires, and floods intensify, it is clearer than ever that climate change is a global crisis that can no longer be ignored.
Recognizing this, even the International Energy Agency, a longtime proponent of fossil fuels, has stated that oil and gas production must decline this decade, and investment in new production must end this year.
But in the Permian, oil companies are planning more production than ever before. Production is projected to grow 50% from 2021 to 2030. If left unchecked, the Permian could continue to produce huge amounts of oil, gas, and gas liquids for decades to come.
With global markets flush with Permian oil and gas, it can only be harder to steer the world’s economy toward clean energy. The numbers are stark.
Emissions from burning the oil and gas projected to be produced in the Permian by 2050 — nearly 40 billion metric tons of CO2 — is nearly 10% of the remaining carbon budget for staying under 1.5oC.
It is clear that the trajectory of Permian oil production this decade is in the opposite direction to what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says will be needed for staying under 1.5oC — a 50% rise as opposed to a 40% decline.
As Permian oil and gas production grows, methane emissions accelerate climate change. Methane is the main component of fossil gas. Burning fossil gas releases CO2 to the atmosphere. But when fossil gas is emitted directly into the atmosphere, the methane it contains accelerates climate change at over 80 times the rate of CO2.
Scientists studying methane emissions in the Permian Basin estimate that as much as 3.7% of gas production is being vented and leaked into the atmosphere. At this rate, methane emissions in the Permian Basin would emit over 9.5 billion tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) by 2050. And those emissions are just waste in the system. This would be like, every day from 2021 to 2050, taking 50 standard mile-long trains of coal out into the desert...
*This pile, nearly 12,000,000 cubic feet of coal, would cover two New York city blocks, be as tall as a Giant Sequoia tree, and could fill 150 Olympic swimming pools.
Companies operating in the Permian Basin say they are reducing methane waste. But evidence of this on the ground is scarce. Researchers at Earthworks regularly document methane waste on a huge scale.
Using special cameras that make the invisible methane spewing from oil and gas equipment visible, Earthworks campaigners have found evidence that methane is vented widely across the Permian Basin, with little to no consequences for operators.
President Biden claims he wants to combat the climate crisis and make environmental justice a core part of his legacy, but his agencies are approving permits for pipelines, export terminals, refineries, petrochemical facilities, and other fossil fuel infrastructure.
Join us to demand President Biden immediately deny new oil and gas infrastructure permits.
Grassroots groups on the frontlines of the Permian Basin’s exploitation are protecting their communities, fighting back against the fossil fuel industry, and working for a just transition. They are underfunded and addressing systemic crises of racism, disinvestment, mounting climate impacts, and more.
Donate to the grassroots groups leading this fight.
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