COP27 host Egypt intensively searching for oil and gas in the ocean
Despite Mediterranean Region already exceeded the 1.5 ° C limit for average temperature compared to pre-industrial levels The only way to reach the 1.5°C target is to massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The IPCC made this very clear once again in its 2021 report. The Mediterranean region, a hotspot of climate change, however, already surpassed the 1.5 °C limit for average temperature increase compared to pre-industrial levels. Despite this, many countries inside and outside the EU are granting new licences for marine hydrocarbon exploration in the region, including the country that will host the climate conference in November: Egypt.
- COP27 host country Egypt heavily invests in additional fossil fuels
- The search for oil and gas in the Mediterranean is intensifying
- A greenwashing COP? Natural gas is not an alternative fossil fuel, but drives the climate crisis
- Underwater noise from oil and gas exploration seriously damages marine ecosystems and wildlife
- Risk of severe and irreparable damage from oil spills is increasing
Hydrocarbon development is incompatible with the goals of the Paris Climate Accords
Fossil fuels account for more than 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and almost 90% of all CO2 emissions. Despite this, the fossil fuel industry plans to produce approximately 50% more fossil fuels by 2030 than would be consistent with a 2°C trajectory, and 120% more than would be consistent with a 1.5°C pathway.
A burst of new offshore hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation projects
Cairo has plans to establish the country as a regional hub for natural gas. A large part of gas from the eastern Mediterranean is to be temporarily stored in Egypt and converted into LNG for shipment. In 2021 and 2022 Egypt awarded several licences for offshore oil and gas exploration, including in the Nile River delta.
Algeria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Lebanon, Montenegro, Romania, Turkey and others are involved in or have approved numerous projects that are at various stages of the process for the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the Red Sea. One third of the world’s untapped natural gas reserves are thought to be in the sea floor of the Eastern Mediterranean. Additional oil and gas deposits are very likely to be found in the Red Sea. «Continuing the search for new oil and gas deposits amidst the ongoing climate and environmental crisis not only plays into the hands of the oil industry, but is also in stark contradiction to the energy transition efforts and objectives of the Paris Agreement, to which Egypt and these other countries are signatories», says Carlos Bravo, Ocean Policy Expert.
A greenwashing COP? LNG is even more harmful to the climate than liquid fossil fuels
Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is presented by the hydrocarbon industry as a bridge fuel towards decarbonisation that is less harmful to the climate than conventional fossil fuels, but this is a fallacy. The deception is to consider only the direct CO2 emissions from LNG combustion, ignoring the impact of methane leakage and seepage into the atmosphere. Natural gas is largely composed of methane molecules (CH4), and methane is a greenhouse gas more than 80 times as potent as CO2 in a 20-year perspective.
«The Mediterranean basin is a hotspot of climate change. The offshore oil and gas exploration licences now issued under the pretext of the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine would lead to production only in more than 5 years from now and are thus an abuse of the situation. Every cent invested now in oil and gas exploration is wasted and will be missing in crisis management and energy transition efforts», says Nicolas Entrup, Director International Relations at OceanCare.
Decarbonisation – definite commitment to phase out natural gas is urgently needed
The climate summit COP27 is the right time for the 22 Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention to commit themselves to measurable decarbonisation targets in the short, medium and long term. This would be an important and absolutely necessary step to avoid a worsening of the current average temperature increase of 1.54°C above pre-industrial values that the Mediterranean region is already experiencing and to achieve the goal of reaching 2050 with a temperature increase as far as possible below the 2°C maximum threshold set in the Paris Agreement. «We fear that COP27 will be misused by oil and gas corporations to falsely impose natural gas – nothing more than a fossil fuel with high climate potential – as a bridge fuel for the energy transition. However, this would be in contradiction to the IPCC recommendations. It will exacerbate the already massive problem of underwater noise and severely harm marine wildlife and fisheries», says Nicolas Entrup, Director International Relations at OceanCare.
OceanCare calls on the state leaders gathering at the COP27 to adopt the following decisions:
- immediate prohibition of all new fossil fuel exploration activities throughout their territory
- progressive but urgent phasing out of all concessions already in force for the exploitation of fossil fuel deposits in any part of their territory, setting, in any case, January 1st, 2035, as the end date for all concessions
- declaration binding for all stakeholders globally to set and implement measurable decarbonisation targets for their region in the short, medium and long term – with a view to limiting global temperature increase to 1.5 °C regionally and achieving the Paris Agreement target.
Commercial activity around hydrocarbon exploitation, in any of its phases (drilling, extraction, transport, refining, etc.), is a frequent cause of major oil spills, as recent cases of water and coastal pollution in Mediterranean countries such as Israel and Lebanon, Syria and others remind us. Such accidents cause serious damage to marine ecosystems and associated biodiversity. Many marine species are already massively threatened by vessel noise, ship collisions, overfishing, plastic waste, and climate change.
Background Decarbonisation
OceanCare has been campaigning for years for a ban on oil and gas exploration, including in the Mediterranean. Success: since 2017, France has been the first EU country to ban all new oil exploration by law and prohibit the extraction of fossil fuels from 2040. Spain and Denmark followed suit with bans and phase-out plans, and Portugal also banned new of oil and gas exploration. Unfortunately there is no EU-wide approach. Some EU countries continue to grant exploration licences and extend production permits. And in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus are quarrelling over resource development.
Commercial activity around hydrocarbon exploitation, in any of its phases (drilling, extraction, transport, refining, etc.), is a frequent cause of major oil spills, as recent cases of water and coastal pollution in Mediterranean countries such as Israel and Lebanon, Syria and others remind us. Such accidents cause serious damage to marine ecosystems and associated biodiversity. Many marine species are already massively threatened by vessel noise, ship collisions, overfishing, plastic waste, and climate change.