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we are committed to reducing our carbon dioxide (co₂) emissions intensity by one-third by 2030 and conserving resources by continually improving our operations.
we are striving to reduce our impacts on the planet including taking actions towards our climate-related goals of reducing carbon intensity by 1/3 by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2050. additional details about our progress for the environment is available in our 2023 sustainability report.
energy
industrial gas manufacturing is energy intensive. air separation units (asus) require electricity or steam to compress air so it can be cryogenically distilled into oxygen, nitrogen, and argon. likewise, the production of hydrogen consumes natural gas, and in some cases refinery off-gas, as a feedstock and/or fuel in the production process. as a result, energy consumption is the most significant variable in the cost of our production processes. we carefully track and manage energy purchases and focus on continually improving energy efficiency across our plants, particularly larger facilities. in 2022, our energy consumption was consistent with prior year at 57.2 terawatt hours while production increased. the amount of renewable electricity we consumed increased to 29%.
climate
our co₂ emissions are driven by energy consumption. because co₂e emissions represent our most significant environmental impact, we have set goals to invest billions in the energy transition, to reach net zero in our operations by 2050, and to reduce our carbon intensity. in 2022, we achieved a 5% reduction in scope 1 and 2 co₂e intensity and a 25% reduction in scope 3 co₂ intensity. we expect the reduction of our co₂ emissions intensity to accelerate in 2025 and beyond as we bring our blue and green hydrogen megaprojects onstream and continue working across the five areas related to our goal: carbon capture, carbon-free hydrogen, low-carbon projects, operational efficiency, and renewable energy. our co₂e emissions were 16.8, 9.7 and 7.6 million metric tonnes for scope 1, 2 and 3, respectively.
climate change policy statement
climate change, energy consumption and water use are inextricably linked. looking ahead, the world’s population is expected to grow to over nine billion people by 2050, while their needs for energy, water and food will increase even faster. for these reasons, maximizing the efficient use of the earth’s resources while minimizing environmental impacts is vital.
air products’ long-standing strategy for responding to these challenges is straight forward. we enable our customers to reduce their environmental impact by providing cost-effective technologies and products that improve their energy and water efficiency and reduce emissions to the environment. at the same time, we strive to reduce energy and water consumption, as well as emissions, in our own operations through efficiency improvements and technological innovations. we are making real progress in these areas, as demonstrated by our environmental sustainability targets and related cost savings.
water
water is a vital resource and crucial to the health of every living thing on our planet. we strive to be a responsible consumer of water and further reduce the water intensity of our products. in 2022, we decreased our water use intensity by four percent compared to the prior year. our consumption of water, on an absolute basis, was 14.2 billion gallons in 2022.
sustainability report
learn more about our sustainability progress and performance.