Defining the Shale Gas Life Cycle

The World Resources Institute (WRI) proposes a standardized life cycle framework for shale gas to address inconsistencies in environmental impact assessments, spanning from exploration and production to use and site remediation.

• WRI proposes a life cycle boundary for shale gas that encompasses the entire process from exploration through to well closure/site remediation, and from production to use. This framework is based on the ISO 14044 standard and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard.
• A comparison of 16 assessments of shale gas production's environmental impacts reveals significant variations in scope, which complicates discussions and makes it difficult to compare results. These variations often stem from different life cycle boundaries, where some studies omit critical stages such as exploration, processing, or combustion.
• Differences in life cycle boundaries lead to divergent findings among researchers regarding rates of wastewater production, water use, and greenhouse gas emissions.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Defining the Shale Gas Life Cycle. https://www.wri.org/research/defining-shale-gas-life-cycle

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Defining the Shale Gas Life Cycle. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/defining-shale-gas-life-cycle.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Defining the Shale Gas Life Cycle |url=https://www.wri.org/research/defining-shale-gas-life-cycle |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutenddefining, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Defining the Shale Gas Life Cycle}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/defining-shale-gas-life-cycle}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }