Renewable Revolution

January 19, 2022 Lorne Stockman, Oil Change International
 
Back in 2019, we started looking into oil and gas drilling in the Permian Basin, an area the size of Kansas covering west Texas and southeastern New Mexico, which has become the world’s most prolific oil and gas basin. What we found was a ticking climate bomb.

Since then, we’ve been researching the issue, connecting with partners, and talking with people living with the impacts from New Mexico to the Gulf Coast. This culminated in the launch of one of our most ambitious research projects ever: The PermianClimateBomb.org report series.

The project is a year long collaboration with artists, local community members, partner organizations, and creative content designers, and it has a clear message: the Permian fracking boom will bust the climate and intensify environmental injustice.

Click on any of the images or links below to learn more about the Permian Basin's devastating impact on communities and our climate through videos, illustrations, data, and stories:



Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Climate
Chapter 3: Exports
Chapter 4: Petrochemicals
Chapter 5: Communities
Chapter 6: Regulatory Failure

The report reveals that Permian oil and gas production has soared 500% since 2010, and is projected to continue growing through this decade. But the Permian has an additional dirty secret — gas liquids. At 617 million barrels per year, the Permian produced more gas liquids in 2020 than any other country in the world, making it the leading source of petrochemical feedstock and plastics. This is intensifying environmental injustice in Gulf Coast communities where petrochemical facilities and export terminals are proliferating.

Additionally, we reveal there is only one inspector for every 1,600 oil and gas facilities in Texas, allowing deadly problems to be left unaddressed for months on end. We also share how families and community members are fighting back and resisting the fossil fuel extraction happening throughout the region.

Check out the report series and then share it on social media or directly with friends and family via email.

We hope you find this report series interesting and would love to hear what you think about this new approach for our research. Thanks for all of your support.

- Lorne on behalf of the Permian Climate Bomb team.

Oil Change International campaigns to expose the true costs of fossil fuels and facilitate the coming transition towards clean energy. We are dedicated to identifying and overcoming barriers to that transition.

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