Climate change leadership

Canada’s crude oil and natural gas resources are safely and responsibly developed with world-leading standards, under comprehensive regulatory oversight and emissions regulations, and with technology investments. As the world’s demand for energy increases, significant oil and natural gas resources will need to be developed. Canada is well positioned to be a global leader in supplying crude oil and natural gas in a lower carbon emissions future.

We believe that an effective approach to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions management relies on strong environmental policy and regulation, innovation and technology. Canadian Natural continues to work together with industry, government and other stakeholders to encourage technological innovation, energy efficiency and targeted R&D as methods of maintaining a competitive oil and natural gas sector. Read more about our resiliency in a lower carbon emissions economy.

The world needs more Canadian energy

Canadian ingenuity and the ability to leverage technology have turned what was a high-intensity oil in 2009 (on a wells-to-combustion basis) into a premium oil. This is an impressive Canadian success story. Climate change is a global issue and Canadian technologies and innovation can be adopted by other producers and industries around the world to accelerate the global reduction of GHGs. If the rest of the world achieved what our industry has in terms of flaring standards, GHG emissions could be reduced by 23% — equivalent to taking ~110 million cars off the road (or more than three times the number of vehicles on the road today in Canada). Having more Canadian oil and natural gas on the global market can reduce global GHG emissions.

Our GHG management strategy

Canadian Natural recognizes the need to reduce GHG emissions and supports Canada's leadership in the Paris Agreement as a pathway to reducing GHG emissions and driving innovation. We also support the federal and provincial goals to reduce methane emissions by 45% by 2025. With a strong commitment to reducing GHG emissions, our long-term aspirational target is net zero emissions in our oil sands operations. We have taken significant steps to reduce our emissions with an integrated GHG emissions management strategy that focuses on:

• Integrating emission reduction in project planning and operations.
• Leveraging technology to create value and enhance performance.
• Investing in Research and Development (R&D) and supporting collaboration.
• Focusing on continuous improvement to drive long-term emissions reductions.
• Leading in Carbon Capture and Sequestration/Storage (CCS) projects.
• Engaging proactively in policy and regulation to effectively manage climate risks and opportunities, including trading capacity and offsetting emissions.
• Considering and developing new business opportunities and trends.

Driving GHG reductions

Our GHG management strategy and focus on effective and efficient operations has delivered significant emissions reductions to date. We believe that supporting research while developing and adopting innovative technology is the best way to reduce GHG emissions. Leveraging technology and innovation have led to significant reductions in Canadian Natural’s GHG emissions. Read about our emissions reduction in our 2018 Stewardship Report to Stakeholders.

Canadian Natural has developed a pathway to reduce emissions intensity below the global crude average. This pathway includes CCS projects, methane reduction projects, natural gas production and further advancements in technology. Read about our long-term programs driving GHG reductions.