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The North Field Natural Gas Gazing Project, led by Qatar with the support of Totalenergies, arouses heated debates. While some see it as a major economic and energy opportunity, others highlight the disturbing environmental impacts. Indeed, this project could issue significant quantities of greenhouse gas, thus contributing to global warming. The differences in points of view between economic players and environmental associations reflect the underlying tensions in the management of global energy resources. It is crucial to understand complex issues and long -term implications of such developments.
Origin and ambitions of the North Field project
North Field is recognized as the largest natural gas deposit in the world, located in the Persian Gulf, straddling the waters of Qatar and Iran. Since 1988, Qatar has exploited this resource, thus becoming a key actor on the world scene of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The exploitation of North Field has enabled Qatar to develop a flourishing petrochemical industry and to strengthen its export capacity. Qatar’s ambitions do not stop there: the North Field Expansion project aims to significantly increase this capacity, going from 77 million tonnes per year in 2020 to 126 million tonnes by 2028. Totalnergies, a major partner of this project, sees in this enlargement a strategic opportunity to strengthen LNG supply, especially in Europe. However, this expansion raises questions about environmental sustainability and compliance with international climatic objectives.
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Climate impact: why North Field is a “climatic bomb”
The term “climatic bomb” means projects likely to issue more than a billion tonnes of CO2 on their life cycle, and North Field is at the top of the list. The greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production and transport of LNG are considerably high. A study by the Rystad Institute shows that LNG emissions are ten times higher than those of gas transported by gas pipeline. With planned emissions from 24 equivalent CO2 gigatons, North Field represents a major challenge for global climatic objectives. Current calculations do not even include methane, a powerful greenhouse gas often overlooked. This situation highlights the contradictions between economic ambitions and the urgent need to reduce the world carbon footprint.
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Strategies to alleviate the impacts of climatic bombs
Researchers, including Professor Kjell Kühne of the University of Leeds, offer solutions to defuse climate bombs like North Field. One of the key recommendations is the establishment of moratories on projects not yet started, which could avoid around a third of early emissions. For projects already underway, more extreme measures would be necessary to comply with the carbon budget fixed by the Paris Agreement. Current efforts to mitigate these impacts are mainly the result of civil society organizations, which is insufficient in view of the scale of the challenge. A global approach involving international negotiations, national laws and legal actions may be necessary to initiate a significant change.
The role of economic and political actors
Large energy companies, as well as total, play a crucial role in the dynamics of climatic bombs. Currently involved in several controversial projects, Totalenergies is at the heart of a debate on business responsibility in the energy transition. Governments, for their part, must reconcile economic growth with climate commitments. Scientists call for an in -depth understanding of climatic bombs in order to develop suitable strategies. The question that arises is that of the ability of economic and political actors to cooperate to defuse these bombs within the framework of the climatic objectives set.
The complexity surrounding the North Field project raises many questions about the future of global energy exploitation. Tensions between economic development and environmental sustainability are palpable, and the need for concerted action is more urgent than ever. In this context, how can the different stakeholders are constructive to balance economic and climatic imperatives?
The author relied on artificial intelligence to enrich this article.
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