Greenhouse gas footprints of different oil feedstocks / EASAC Secretariat, Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina, German National Academy of Sciences, EASAC, EASAC Brussels Office, Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium (RASAB)

Abstract

In future, road transport will be required to make a stronger contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the European Union (EU). How to account for the different GHG footprints of transport fuels derived from different sources of fossil oil feedstock is a contentious issue and was extensively debated in the context of proposed amendments to the EU Fuel Quality Directive. One aspect related to the life-cycle assessment of the GHG emissions of transport fuels derived from oil sands, but a broader issue was the extent to which GHG footprints varied both within and across various categories of feedstock. EASAC therefore decided to examine both issues.