Carbon footprint man-made infrastructures resulted in a net loss to the atmosphere, -0.6 Mg C ha y. Carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, and the emissions of other GHGs, are often associated with the burning of fossil fuels, like natural gas, crude oil and coal. While this is harmful to the environment, carbon offsets can be purchased in an attempt to make up for these harmful effects. The Kyoto Protocol defines legally binding targets and timetables for cutting the GHG emissions of industrialized countries that ratified the Kyoto Protocol. Accordingly, from an economic or market perspective, one has to distinguish between a
Carbon capture and storage (timeline) Sleipner field produces natural gas and light oil from the Heimdal sandstones, which are about 2,500 m below sea level. The natural gas produced at Sleipner contains unusually high levels (about 9%) of carbon dioxide, but the customers require less than 2.5%. To encourage companies to cut their carbon emissions, the Norwegian government imposes a carbon tax equivalent to about $50 per ton of CO released into the atmosphere. To avoid paying the tax, and as a test of alternative technology, all of the CO extracted since 1996, when gas production started at Sleipner, has been pumped back deep underground.