Oil & Gas · transition pathways
← all sectorsThe recognised primary transition pathway for oil & gas, plus the upstream sectors oil & gas firms depend on for their own decarbonisation. A consulting firm cutting business travel still needs aviation to decarbonise; a REIT cutting tenant energy still needs the grid to clean up. These are the rate limiters.
IEA Net Zero by 2050 + SBTi Oil & Gas (draft) + TPI
IEA's Net Zero scenario implies no new oil and gas exploration from 2021 onwards. SBTi has draft Oil & Gas pathway methodology. TPI (Transition Pathway Initiative) assesses majors' alignment with 1.5°C and 'Below 2°C' benchmarks annually.
Reference ↗Hover the chart to read off Best / Realistic / Worst values at any year. Click to pin the readout.
Best 25% · Worst 95%
Upstream sectors oil & gas firms rely on. The faster these decarbonise, the faster the firm can hit its own targets — even when it does everything in its control.
Power & electricity
Scope 2 + abatement enablementElectrification of upstream (drilling, compressors) and refining cuts Scope 1+2. Faster grid decarbonisation also raises the carbon penalty of fossil fuels in the wider economy.
Source: IEA WEO 2023 — NZE / APS / STEPS
Sector-generic framing shown above — company-specific exposure narrative pending.
Methane abatement technology
Scope 1Vented + fugitive methane is the biggest cheap-to-cut S1 lever for upstream operations. Detection and capture tech availability sets the pace.
Source: Global Methane Pledge (75% by 2030 for O&G)
Sector-generic framing shown above — company-specific exposure narrative pending.
Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS)
Scope 1 abatement + post-combustion S3 cat 11Material residual emissions in the IEA NZE scenario assume large-scale CCUS deployment. Without it, upstream + refining carbon intensity floor is much higher.
Source: IEA NZE — 7.6 GtCO2/yr captured by 2050
Sector-generic framing shown above — company-specific exposure narrative pending.
Hydrogen & e-fuels (low-carbon)
Scope 1 substitution + product transitionRefining migration to low-carbon feedstocks (green/blue H₂, e-methanol) determines whether the firm's product slate decarbonises or stays locked in. Sets the upper bound on residual-product Scope 3 cat 11.
Sector-generic framing shown above — company-specific exposure narrative pending.
Mining & critical minerals
Scope 3 · cat 1Refining catalysts (Pt, Pd, Mo, Ni), pipeline steel, drilling-rig componentry. Mining-sector decarbonisation pace caps embodied-emissions in capex + opex consumables.
Source: ICMM Climate Change Position, SBTi Mining (in development)
Sector-generic framing shown above — company-specific exposure narrative pending.
Once we have HQ + operations location data per firm in this cohort, we'll overlay Ember grid-carbon-intensity data per country so you can see the geographical decarbonisation tailwind (or headwind) each firm is operating against.
Source: ember-energy.org · Global Electricity Review + per-country grid carbon intensity (gCO2/kWh).