Oil and gas production narratives in Colombia and Nigeria after the Paris Agreement

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyzes the oil and gas production narratives used by the governments of Colombia and Nigeria between December 2015 and May 2022. It examines how these narratives—focused on development, energy security, and energy transitions—are used to justify continued fossil fuel expansion despite the Paris Agreement, and provides strategies for civil society and researchers to challenge these frameworks to enable a more equitable energy transition.

• Between December 2015 and May 2022, Colombia and Nigeria employed three shared narratives to justify oil and gas production: the role of the sector in spurring development, the strengthening of energy security through domestic supply and independence, and the positioning of oil and gas (particularly gas) as central to energy transitions.
• Nigeria utilized a specific fourth narrative that linked oil and gas production to the enhancement of its international standing and regional influence, a contrast to Colombia's approach of seeking international leadership via climate and sustainable development agendas.
• The 'energy transition' narrative in both countries relies on the claim that production can be decarbonized via technology (such as carbon capture and efficiency improvements) and the framing of gas as a 'bridge' technology that is more reliable than renewables and less carbon-intensive than other fossil fuels.
• The briefing argues that these governmental narratives are often inaccurate or oversimplified, noting that the 'national wealth' narrative ignores the mixed record of non-renewable resources in delivering inclusive prosperity due to mismanagement and revenue inequality.
• The narrative of 'low-carbon' oil and gas is described as misleading because the majority of greenhouse gas emissions occur during the combustion stage rather than production. To limit warming to 1.5°C by 2050, research suggests supply reductions of 99% for coal, 70% for oil, and 84% for gas.
• These narratives contribute to 'carbon lock-in' by legitimizing new infrastructure. In Nigeria, this includes floating liquefied national gas facilities and downstream processing plants; in Colombia, a 2020 royalty distribution revision incentivized dependence by channeling more funds to extracting municipalities.
• Civil society organizations can counteract these narratives by demanding transparency in industry spending and emissions, challenging outdated premises with up-to-date analysis, and creating science-based narratives of equitable futures beyond fossil fuels.

APA

Strambo, C., Ivleva, D., & Arond, E. (2024). Oil and gas production narratives in Colombia and Nigeria after the Paris Agreement. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/183381/oil-gas-production-narratives-colombia-nigeria.pdf

Chicago

Strambo, Claudia, Daria Ivleva, and Elisa Arond. Oil and gas production narratives in Colombia and Nigeria after the Paris Agreement. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2024. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/183381/oil-gas-production-narratives-colombia-nigeria.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Strambo |first1=Claudia |last2=Ivleva |first2=Daria |last3=Arond |first3=Elisa |title=Oil and gas production narratives in Colombia and Nigeria after the Paris Agreement |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=December 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/183381/oil-gas-production-narratives-colombia-nigeria.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{strambo2024oil, author = {Strambo, Claudia and Ivleva, Daria and Arond, Elisa}, title = {{Oil and gas production narratives in Colombia and Nigeria after the Paris Agreement}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/183381/oil-gas-production-narratives-colombia-nigeria.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }