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Greenhouse gas emissions from the global transportation of crude oil: Current status and mitigation potential

Author

Listed:
  • Sharath Ankathi
  • Zifeng Lu
  • George G. Zaimes
  • Troy Hawkins
  • Yu Gan
  • Michael Wang

Abstract

Global crude‐oil transportation contributes a significant portion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the marine transportation sector. In this work, we first compile a detailed country‐level global crude‐oil transportation network in 2018 and estimate that the direct and well‐to‐hull GHG emissions related to crude transportation were 97 and 109 million metric tons, respectively. Combining with the country‐specific crude recovery GHG intensities, the consumption‐based well‐to‐country‐gate crude‐oil GHG intensities are derived for individual countries, ranging from 2.99 to 27.32 g CO2eq/MJ, with a global crude‐volume‐weighted average of 8.67 g CO2eq/MJ. We then project the global crude transportation emissions at the regional level in 2050 under a static (no change) scenario (based on current ship energy efficiency) and a sustainable‐development (SD) scenario (based on the International Energy Agency's projections of ship energy efficiency and penetration of alternative marine fuels). Results show that the global well‐to‐hull GHG emissions related to crude transportation would be 82 and 59 million metric tons in 2050 in the static and SD scenarios, respectively. To further evaluate the impact of potential fuel‐switching on decarbonizing the crude oil transportation sector, we estimate the GHG emissions for 20 fuel/production options in 2050. We find that, in comparison to the static scenario, ∼50% reduction in global well‐to‐hull GHG emissions from crude transportation could be achieved under the SD scenario if green ammonia further replaces conventional ammonia. The methodology developed here can be applied to other commodities to estimate the emissions associated with their global marine transportation and to evaluate the potential emission mitigation options.

Suggested Citation

  • Sharath Ankathi & Zifeng Lu & George G. Zaimes & Troy Hawkins & Yu Gan & Michael Wang, 2022. "Greenhouse gas emissions from the global transportation of crude oil: Current status and mitigation potential," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(6), pages 2045-2056, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:inecol:v:26:y:2022:i:6:p:2045-2056
    DOI: 10.1111/jiec.13262
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yuantao Yang & Shen Qu & Bofeng Cai & Sai Liang & Zhaohua Wang & Jinnan Wang & Ming Xu, 2020. "Mapping global carbon footprint in China," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-8, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Huafang Huang & Sharafat Ali & Yasir Ahmed Solangi, 2023. "Analysis of the Impact of Economic Policy Uncertainty on Environmental Sustainability in Developed and Developing Economies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-19, March.
    2. Wenjie Ruan & Zhaoxia Guo & Jing Yang & Lei Gao & Yucheng Dong & Qi Liu, 2024. "Assessing the progress toward achieving energy‐ and climate‐related sustainable development goals under four global energy transition outlooks," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(4), pages 3695-3707, August.
    3. Klepikov, Vladimir & Klepikova, Liubov & Hammoudeh, Shawkat, 2025. "Assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions in the oil supply chains at refineries in the countries of the northern region of Europe," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).
    4. Ian Vázquez‐Rowe & Robert Parker & Helen Hamilton & Huan Liu, 2022. "Industrial ecology for the oceans," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 26(6), pages 1842-1846, December.
    5. Yilin Zeng & Xiang Yuan & Bing Hou, 2023. "Analysis of Carbon Emission Reduction at the Port of Integrated Logistics: The Port of Shanghai Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-21, July.
    6. Sharath Ankathi & Yu Gan & Zifeng Lu & James A. Littlefield & Liang Jing & Farah O. Ramadan & Jean‐Christophe Monfort & Alhassan Badahdah & Hassan El‐Houjeiri & Michael Wang, 2024. "Well‐to‐wheels analysis of greenhouse gas emissions for passenger vehicles in Middle East and North Africa," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 28(4), pages 800-812, August.
    7. Yang, Weixin & Pan, Lingying & Ding, Qinyi, 2023. "Dynamic analysis of natural gas substitution for crude oil: Scenario simulation and quantitative evaluation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    8. Lyu, Di & Zhao, Pengjun & Zhu, Weiwang & Li, Weifeng & Ling, Yingkai & Pang, Liang & Zhang, Shiyi & Xu, Yongjian, 2025. "Impact of Russia–Ukraine conflict on global crude oil shipping carbon emissions," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).

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