To reduce the impact of our activities, we are striving to manage our greenhouse gas emissions more effectively, enhance energy efficiency and develop innovative technological solutions.

An assertive climate change policy

As an oil and gas producer — we supply about 2% of the heating and automotive fuels used worldwide — Total is directly concerned by climate change issues. And as a manufacturer, we emit carbon dioxide, an average of 60 million metric tons of CO₂ annually.

Because we agree with the conclusions of the international scientific community on the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we focus on four types of initiative:

• Improving the reliability of our emissions data, through metering, reporting and external audits.
• Managing greenhouse gas emissions from our facilities and the products and services we offer our customers, so that they use less energy, more efficiently. Between 1990 and 2007, our total emissions grew only 7.7%, despite respective increases of 28% and 112% in Refining activities and Exploration & Production operations.
• Enhancing the energy efficiency of our products and processes.
• Securing the future of energy.

	Greenhouse gas emissions (six gases) (MTCDE/year) (2007 total: 58.4 million metric tons) Upstream includes Exploration & Production (E&P) and Gas & Power (G&P). Here, Downstream refers to Refining & Marketing (R&M).	Primary energy consumption* (million GJ/year) (2007 total: 628.5 million GJ) * Primary energy includes exported electricity, but excludes flaring, venting and gas from hydrogen and ammonia production.
	Relative percentage of the six greenhouse gases in Total’s emissions in 2007	Relative percentage of greenhouse gas sources in Total’s direct emissions in 2007

Enhancing energy efficiency in our plants

We have established common energy management guidelines applicable in all of our businesses and are pursuing ambitious capital spending programs to reduce our energy use.

At our production sites, we are broadening initiatives underway, particularly to decrease the energy used in our processes. For example, we are:

• Developing upgrading projects in Refining and improving the quality of petroleum products (Clean Fuel initiative).
• Improving the management of our installations, especially boilers and furnaces, and upgrading operational oversight and unit control systems to anticipate possible failures and malfunctions.
• Modernizing installations, especially energy intensive atmospheric distillation and catalytic reforming units.
• Using cogeneration, a process that produces the two kinds of energy used in refining and petrochemicals, steam and power, far more efficiently than conventional methods. France’s biggest cogeneration unit is located at our Normandy refinery. Commissioned in late 2004, the unit meets the refinery’s steam needs while co-producing power that is sold to the French grid.

Investments by Refining over the next five years will concentrate on upgrading the quality and amount of petroleum products derived from processed crude oil and improving energy efficiency by one percentage point a year.

Petrochemicals is deploying an action plan that will increase energy efficiency by 2% a year from 2006 to 2012.

Chemicals capitalizes on every upgrade opportunity to cut energy use, as was the case during the recent expansion of the Daesan plant in South Korea, commissioned in late 2007.

In 2007, Exploration & Production conducted tests at two subsidiaries of an audit system designed to produce a facility energy balance, or a precise inventory of energy use and a list of short- and medium-term steps to improve performance. On our oil fields, we have pledged to step up our efforts to reduce flaring and monetize associated gas.

Innovative technological solutions

Carbon capture and sequestration

One of the most promising ways of managing greenhouse gas emissions is carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), CCS could treat 20 to 40% of global emissions of carbon dioxide around 2050.

 Consult the special report Carbon dioxide capture and storage

The Lacq region pilot

Following the completion of preliminary studies conducted in 2006, in February 2007 we announced the launch of France’s first integrated carbon dioxide capture and sequestration chain, in the Lacq region. Roughly 150,000 metric tons of CO₂ should be sequestered by this method in two years. Its purpose is to:

• Enhance our oxy-fuel combustion process  expertise.
• Halve the cost of capture.
• Develop surveillance methods and tools so that the sustainability of long-term sequestration can be demonstrated.

Our findings will also be used by the European Technology Platform (Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Power Plant), of which we are a partner. In addition, an agreement was signed with Indonesia in December 2007 to share data from the pilot.

 Consult the special report Carbon dioxide capture and storage

  Watch the video on the Lacq region pilot

National and international R&D programs

Skilled in industrial capture processes and boasting extensive geological ex pertise, Total participates in a number of CCS research programs worldwide, including:

• European Union programs like ENCAP (ENhanced CAPture of CO₂) and CO2ReMoVe.
• French National Research Agency (ANR) programs to identify potential underground sequestration sites in France.

We also belong to technology networks such as CO2NET.