The Right to be Forgotten: Balancing Privacy and the Public's Right to KnowS Know

The September 2025 edition of the Carbon Minefields Oil and Gas Exploration Monitor reports on global oil and gas licensing activity, highlighting a trend of continued expansion despite climate targets. The document tracks the awarding of new exploration licences, the associated capital expenditure by major energy companies, and the projected carbon emissions resulting from these activities.

• In August 2025, 8,700 square kilometers of acreage were awarded for oil and gas exploration globally. While the land area was relatively small, the oil and gas volumes in licences issued so far in 2025 are the highest for this point in the year over the last 5 years.
• National oil companies (NOCs) are significant drivers of expansion, accounting for half of global oil and gas production and 40% of industry investment. Over the past 12 months, NOCs acquired more than one third of all 492 new oil and gas exploration licences awarded by governments.
• New offshore exploration licences issued in Trinidad and Tobago and Côte d’Ivoire last month could unlock 15.1 million barrels of oil and 493.0 billion cubic feet of gas, potentially releasing 35.8 million tonnes of CO2 if burned.
• Over the last 12 months, 492 new exploration licences attracted USD 26.5 billion in CapEx, averaging USD 2.2 billion per month. The companies with the highest combined commitments are ONGC, Eni, and Shell, who invested USD 7.2 billion.
• Future licensing activity remains high, with 77 licences currently open for bidding or under evaluation and 454 additional blocks entering planning over the next six months. China has the largest planned block emissions, estimated at 2,670.4 MtCO2.

APA

Rossi, E. (2025). The Right to be Forgotten: Balancing Privacy and the Public's Right to KnowS Know. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/newsletter/september-2025-carbon-minefields

Chicago

Rossi, Elena. The Right to be Forgotten: Balancing Privacy and the Public's Right to KnowS Know. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2025. https://www.iisd.org/publications/newsletter/september-2025-carbon-minefields.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rossi |first1=Elena |title=The Right to be Forgotten: Balancing Privacy and the Public's Right to KnowS Know |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=25 September 2025 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/newsletter/september-2025-carbon-minefields |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rossi2025right, author = {Rossi, Elena}, title = {{The Right to be Forgotten: Balancing Privacy and the Public's Right to KnowS Know}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2025}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/newsletter/september-2025-carbon-minefields}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }