A world built around oil

There is almost a consensus on the question. To limit global warming to 1.5 ° C by 2100, oil production will have to be reduced. But the matter is simpler in theory than it is in reality: petroleum is found in a host of products used on a daily basis. Big plan.

Eric-Pierre Champagne
Press

One barrel of oil, many uses

Once the oil is extracted, it is refined, a process that produces different petroleum products. While the best known is probably the gasoline we use for our cars, petroleum is found in a host of essential products in our daily lives. In 2019, the year before the global coronavirus pandemic, global oil production totaled 95 million barrels per day. Once refined, a barrel contains 170 liters of oil.

Plastic, the most popular of “derivative products”

It is probably the most popular petroleum product. Plastic is made from naphtha, obtained through the process of petroleum refining. The annual production of plastic globally has literally exploded since 1950, rising from 2.3 million tonnes to over 400 million tonnes in 2020. Of the 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic produced since 1950, half has been manufactured from the year 2000. According to the UN, the world trade in plastics is valued at US $ 1 trillion per year. Less than 10% of all this plastic has been recycled. “There is not much in which we do not find plastic, recognizes Éric Pineault, professor of sociology and member of the research chair on ecological transition at UQAM. We will have to reduce our consumption to achieve the objectives [climatiques], but we continue to want to believe that everything will change without anything changing. What should we do then? “We know it’s a paradigm shift, but at the same time it’s not easy for governments to say that we’re going to make decisions that will change people’s lives. That’s why it takes a transition plan, not just goals. ”

Plastic and climate

According to the Center for International Environmental Law, plastic production could generate 53.5 billion tonnes of CO₂ by 2050. However, the carbon budget remaining to limit global warming to 1.5 ° C is around 460 billion tonnes of CO₂. Plastic therefore represents 12% of this budget, which should not be exceeded. But the challenge will be significant, admits Jane McArthur, analyst at the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. “Plastic is everywhere and a recent report from the European Environment Agency points out that its production could double in the next 20 years. It is estimated that currently, 7% of global oil production is used to produce plastic, a proportion that will only increase if the trend continues. “Plastic has not always been so important,” points out M.^me McArthur. It has accelerated since 2000, but we have already done it [utiliser moins de plastique], if there is political will, we can do it again. ”

Oil in our clothes

We also find petroleum in our clothes. Polyester is one of the products derived from petroleum. It is the most widely used synthetic fiber in the world (70%) in the manufacture of various garments. It is generally estimated that it takes 1.5 kg of petroleum to produce 1 kg of polyester. Its production is responsible for annual CO emissions₂ equivalent to those of 149 million cars.

Sources: US Energy Agency, Plastic Atlas 2020, Center for International Environmental Law, UN