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

The document analyzes how Colombia and Nigeria employ narratives of development, energy security, and energy transition to justify oil and gas production, arguing that these stories often rely on inaccurate or outdated premises that entrench carbon dependency. It suggests that civil society and researchers can counter these narratives by demanding transparency, challenging flawed evidence, and promoting science-based alternatives for a just transition.

• Between December 2015 and May 2022, Colombia and Nigeria used three shared narratives to justify oil and gas production: development, energy security, and energy transitions. Nigeria additionally used a narrative regarding its regional influence and international standing.
• The development narrative in Colombia linked oil and gas revenues to the 2016 Final Peace Agreement with FARC-EP, COVID-19 recovery, and regional development. In Nigeria, this narrative focused on using gas production to accelerate national industrialization.
• The energy transition narrative in both countries promotes the idea that oil and gas can be decarbonized through technology and that gas serves as a 'bridge' to renewable energy. In Colombia, sector revenues are specifically framed as essential for green investments.
• The document argues that these narratives are often based on flawed premises, such as the myth of oil and gas as a stable revenue source, ignoring the risk of stranded assets and the energy security benefits of renewables.
• The 'low-carbon' oil and gas and 'gas bridge' narratives are described as misleading because most emissions occur during combustion and such narratives risk diverting resources from renewables and causing carbon lock-in.
• Governmental narratives can lead to policies that increase fossil fuel dependency, such as Colombia's 2020 revision to the royalty distribution system which channeled more funds to extracting municipalities to counter local resistance.
• Civil society organizations can counter these narratives by demanding more ambitious policies from high-income countries, challenging inaccurate premises with up-to-date analysis, advocating for industry transparency, and creating science-based narratives of a fossil-free future.

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} }