Tackling air pollution

Climate change may be grabbing the headlines, but the problem of local air pollution from burning fossil fuels has not gone away. Progress has been made over the past 20 years, through a combination of tougher regulations and innovative technology. But more will be needed in future, particularly in the mega-cities of the developing world.

We have been working hard to reduce the emissions of local pollutants – like NOx, SO2 and VOCs – from our operations. This has involved a wide range of investments to upgrade facilities, install cleaner-burning equipment and SO2 capture technology.

Read about examples of where these investment programmes have produced big reductions.

• Air monitoring at our Shell Norco Chemical Plant - opens in new window, US.
• Air monitoring at Motiva Enterprises, LCC - opens in new window, US (joint venture between Shell and Saudi Refining Inc that refines distributes, and markets oil products in the eastern and southern US).
• Emissions update of SAPREF refinery - opens in new window, South Africa (50/50 joint venture between Shell SA Energy and BP Southern Africa).

Since 1999 we have:

• reduced our total SO2 emissions from our operations by nearly 40%;
• reduced our NOx emissions by more than 20%, even though we are now using much more energy to refine cleaner lower sulphur fuels; and
• reduced VOC emissions from our operations by almost 70%.

Providing cleaner products is an even bigger opportunity to help tackle local air pollution. In the early 1990s, we were one of the first companies to produce ultra-low sulphur diesel on a commercial scale (in Sweden). We have invested more than $1 billion at our refineries over the last ten years to produce the lower sulphur fuels that many governments and modern engines require. The sulphur levels of the fuels we sell today vary, depending on what is available from local refineries. These differences will narrow, as more governments in developing countries (often the owners of the main local refineries) can afford the costs of desulphurisation.

We continue to work with governments to promote the introduction of lower sulphur fuels and the modern engines needed to get the benefits from these fuels.

Read more about the cleaner fuels we are providing and how we are helping customers reduce their emissions.