An assertive climate change policy

Greenhouse gas emissions (six gases) 2008.

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 (57.9 million metric tons of carbon equivalent in 2008).

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:

• 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 2008, our total emissions grew only 6.9%, despite respective increases of 31% and 105% in Refining activities and Exploration & Production operations;
• Enhancing the energy efficiency of our products and processes;
• Securing the future of energy;
• Improving the reliability of our emissions data, through metering, reporting and external audits. Although we are focusing our efforts on carbon, which accounts for 90% of our facilities’ emissions, other gases such as methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O), whose global warming potential is higher than that of carbon dioxide (CO₂), are also targeted by specific initiatives.

Relative percentage of greenhouse gas emission sources in Total’s emissions in 2008.

Relative percentage of the six greenhouse gases in Total’s emissions in 2008.

Doing our part to drive the necessary international mobilization

We intend to do our part to set up an expanded system for regulating greenhouse gas emissions and are preparing for related deadlines. In 2009, the international community is expected to create a general framework for the post-Kyoto period, covering 2013 and beyond. We hope that the conference scheduled for Copenhagen in December will lead to an international agreement establishing quantified targets, emission reduction stages and a plan for sharing the burden fairly among the major carbon-emitting sectors and countries. With the end of the first phase of the EU emissions trading market, Total is factoring in the expanded European Union Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) and the plans to strengthen it starting in 20131. We support the guidelines adopted by European Union leaders in December 2008, while hoping that their implementation does not undercut the competitiveness of the businesses involved. The Energy and Climate Package directives call for a reduction in emissions of at least 20% below 1990 levels by 2020, and as much as 30% under a new global climate change agreement when other developed countries make comparable efforts. It has also set a target of increasing the share of renewable energies to 20% in the energy mix of its 27 member countries.

These three inseparable components of the fight against climate change also structure the approach we take at our own level, including initiatives targeting our customers and users of our products.