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Saudi Arabia saw its crude oil exports rise in September, hitting a three-month high, according to just-released data from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI).  

In September, exports rose to 5.75mbbl/d from 5.67mbbl/d in August, while the kingdom’s production fell to 8.98mbbl/d from 8.99mbbl/d in August. 

JODI is an international collaboration, launched in 2001, to improve the availability and reliability of data on crude oil and and natural gas. 

The data also revealed that Saudi Arabia’s production of refined products rose by 0.035mbbl/d to 2.76mbbl/d. 

In late September, Saudi Arabia revealed it had exported 5.7mbbl/d of oil in July, the lowest level since August 2023, JODI data revealed at the time. 

The kingdom, the world’s second-largest oil producer, saw its crude exports fall by around 5.1% from 6.1mbbl/d in June. Meanwhile, its production rose very slightly to 8.9mbbl/d. 

President-elect Donald Trump has chosen oil and gas industry CEO Chris Wright as his next energy secretary, with Trump seemingly intent on fulfilling his election promise to increase exploration and production. 

Wright, a strong proponent of fossil fuels and a climate change sceptic, will head up the US Department of Energy once Trump is inaugurated in January. The new pick founded and leads Denver-based Liberty Energy, which uses fracking to extract hydrocarbons from its operations. 

“Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fuelled American energy independence, and transformed the global energy markets and geopolitics,” wrote Trump in a statement, as reported by several media outlets. During his first presidency, Trump removed numerous environmental restrictions. He also withdrew from the Paris Agreement on climate change, something he has promised to do again. 

Shell has won an appeal in The Hague against a previous court ruling that mandated the company to accelerate its carbon reduction efforts. 

This decision is a reversal of the 2021 verdict by the District Court of The Hague that ordered Shell to slash its absolute carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 relative to 2019 levels. 

The Court of Appeal of The Hague acknowledged Shell’s responsibility to reduce greenhouse gases emissions to protect against global warming. 

However, it overturned the previous ruling, which included emissions from the use of Shell’s products. 

Shell CEO Wael Sawan said: “We are pleased with the court’s decision, which we believe is the right one for the global energy transition, the Netherlands and our company.” 

UN secretary-general António Guterres has said “doubling down on fossil fuels is absurd” and “almost everywhere, solar and wind are the cheapest source of new electricity”, as global policymakers, climate experts and lobbyists gather in Baku, Azerbaijan for COP29. 

He added that by the next COP meeting, countries “must deliver new economy-wide national climate action plans, and you have agreed that your new plans will align with 1.5 degrees” in an address at the COP29 World Leaders’ Climate Action Summit Opening Ceremony. 

“That means they must cover all emissions and the whole economy; advance global goals to triple renewables capacity, double energy efficiency and halt deforestation by 2030; and slash global fossil fuel production and consumption 30% by the same date,” he said. 

COP, or the Conference of the Parties, is an annual global summit where countries negotiate climate action strategies and assess their progress. 

Canada has announced draft regulations to cap GHG gas emissions from the oil and gas sector, aiming for a 35% reduction from 2019 levels by 2030. 

This move is part of Canada’s broader strategy to combat climate change while ensuring the continued growth of the oil and gas industry. 

The proposed cap-and-trade system is designed to reward companies that perform better in reducing emissions and encourage higher-polluting companies to invest in cleaner production processes. 

The regulations will not limit production but aim to reduce pollution, allowing for growth within the sector. As the world’s fourth-largest oil producer and fifth-largest gas producer, Canada is preparing for a peak in global oil and gas demand. 

The National Inventory Report indicates that the oil and gas sector was responsible for 31% of Canada’s emissions in 2022, making it the largest contributor.