explainer: what are emissions scopes?

For more than 20 years, Chevron has been reporting on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions resulting from oil and gas production.

Our accounting and reporting are based on guidance developed by the World Resources Institute’s Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which divides emissions into three scopes. The protocol was co-authored by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Scope 1 emissions come from sources that are owned or operated by a company. It’s why they are referred to as direct GHG emissions. In general, Scope 1 emissions come from:

• Fuel combustion in stationary sources such as boilers or heaters to generate electrical or thermal energy.
• Fuel combustion from mobile sources such as transportation modes. This might include emissions from trains, trucks or ships.
• Fugitive emissions that come from manufacturing and industrial processes.

These are indirect emissions associated with the purchase of utilities at facilities controlled or owned by a reporting company. Here are some examples:

• Electricity: The emissions associated with the generation of electricity delivered to that organization’s facility are included as Scope 2.
• Steam: When facilities import steam from other providers, the emissions associated with generation of steam are reported as Scope 2.

At Chevron, we aspire to achieve net zero emissions in our upstream oil and gas operations (which include Scope 1 and Scope 2) by 2050.

Scope 3 represents indirect emissions not included in the previous category, which happen throughout a company’s value chain.

There are 15 categories of Scope 3 emissions under the World Resources Institute’s Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

Chevron reports emissions from Category 11, which covers GHG resulting from the end use of our products. This includes emissions generated from customer use, such as combustion or tailpipe emissions.

Learn more about how Chevron is advancing a lower carbon future.