Offshore, Off-Limits

The report argues that offshore oil and gas activities pose severe threats to the global commons, specifically the oceans and atmosphere. It details how seismic surveys harm marine life, production leads to catastrophic blowouts and underreported methane emissions, transportation increases the risk of spills and invasive species, and improper decommissioning leaves a legacy of leaking 'orphan' wells. The document emphasizes that these risks are magnified by climate change and that existing legal frameworks, including UNCLOS and the polluter pays principle, should be leveraged to phase out offshore fossil fuel extraction.

• Offshore oil and gas production accounts for more than 30 percent of global oil and gas production, but its climate footprint is often underreported due to the difficulty of monitoring at sea.
• Seismic exploration uses air guns that produce noise levels up to 260 decibels, which is louder than a rocket launch and can cause physiological stress, hearing loss, and behavioral changes in marine life.
• The risk of large-scale disasters from well blowouts increases with depth; one study indicates that for every 100 feet of additional depth, the likelihood of a self-reported incident like a spill or injury increases by more than 8 percent.
• Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) transportation is highly emissions-intensive because of the energy required for liquefaction, compression, shipping, and regasification, resulting in 10 times the carbon emissions of pipeline gas.
• Improper decommissioning has led to a proliferation of abandoned or 'orphan' wells that leak methane and other toxins; in the Gulf of Mexico, over 32,000 out of 55,000 abandoned wells have been ignored for decades.
• Oil and gas companies frequently use legal, tax, and contractual loopholes to avoid decommissioning costs, shifting the financial burden to host governments and taxpayers.
• Climate change increases the risk of offshore disasters, as existing infrastructure was not designed for rising sea levels or the increased frequency of extreme weather events like hurricanes.
• The 'rigs-to-reefs' practice, while promoted by industry to save costs, is controversial among scientists due to uncertainties regarding its effectiveness and the risk of facilitating invasive species.
• International legal frameworks, such as UNCLOS, define the introduction of energy—including noise and heat—as marine pollution, providing a basis for regulating seismic blasting and GHG emissions.
• Courts in South Africa, Norway, and the UK have recently used climate and consultation arguments to halt or invalidate offshore oil and gas permits.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2025). Offshore, Off-Limits. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Offshore-Off-Limits.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Offshore, Off-Limits. 2025. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Offshore-Off-Limits.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Offshore, Off-Limits |date=2025 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Offshore-Off-Limits.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2025offshore, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Offshore, Off-Limits}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2025}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Offshore-Off-Limits.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }