BibTeX:

@article{IJIRSTV3I6049,
     title={Modelling the CO2 Ecological Footprint for an Oil and Gas Producing Country},
     author={Festus Olajide and Joel Ogbonna},
     journal={International Journal for Innovative Research in Science & Technology},
     volume={3},
     number={6},
     pages={139--147},
     year={},
     url={http://www.ijirst.org/articles/IJIRSTV3I6049.pdf},
     publisher={IJIRST (International Journal for Innovative Research in Science & Technology)},
}

The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development needs some metric to measure the progress of nations towards sustainability. The method for using the Carbon (IV) Oxide (CO2) Ecological Footprint (EF) as a means for measuring the progress of a developing country towards sustainable development has been studied in this research. Using the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry as a case study, models for computing the CO2 EF and Bio-capacity of the Nigerian Environment were developed with MATLAB 7.5.0 Software. By comparing the CO2 EF and the Biocapacity of Nigeria, the picture of the Nigerian oil and Gas Industry with respect to sustainability was painted and hence the progress towards sustainable development is now measurable. The study viewed Nigeria as an Isolated Thermodynamic system in space; hence, all the activities within the system must be sustainable, with the three dimensions of sustainability respected: Environmental, Social and Economic. Empirical analyses of data obtained with regard to CO2 released during Oil and Gas production in Nigeria suggests that the CO2 release by the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry is unsustainable. To make oil and gas production sustainable in Nigeria, the Nigerian forest needs to be increased to be able to sequester the emitted CO2 by the oil and gas industry.

Ecological footprint, Oil and Gas Industry, Forest, Sequestration, Isolated Thermodynamic System