A method for recovering oil from a reservoir formation that is penetrated by at least one injection well and one production well and wherein the reservoir formation contains water the method comprising: selecting a nonionic, non-emulsifying surfactant including a hydrophobic constituent, a hydrophilic constituent and a linking group that joins the hydrophobic constituent and the hydrophilic constituent, wherein the hydrophilic constituent is an ethylene oxide constituent having the general formula -(C 2 H 4 O) y, the hydrophobic constituent has the general formula RO- and either (a) R is selected from the group of branched alkyl, cyclic alkyl, and alkaryl groups having 3 to 11 carbon atoms; or (b) R is a linear alkyl group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms; and the linking group that joins the hydrophobic constituent and the hydrophilic constituent has the general formula -(CR 1 R 2 CR 3 R 4 O) x -, where R 1, R 2, R 3, and R 4 are each independently selected from the group of H, branched alkyl, linear alkyl, cyclic alkyl and alkaryl groups having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, with the proviso that one or more of the following apply: that R 1, R 2, R 3, and R 4 cannot all be H and the total number of carbon atoms in R 1 + R 2 + R 3 + R 4 is less than or equal to about 8, injecting the surfactant with carbon dioxide into the reservoir formation via the injection well, wherein the surfactant is dissolved directly in the carbon dioxide phase in an amount of at least 0.01 weight percent based on a total weight of the composition; forming a stable foam of carbon dioxide and water in the reservoir formation with the nonionic, non-emulsifying surfactant; allowing the carbon dioxide in the stable foam to dissolve into the oil in the reservoir formation to provide a lowered viscosity of the oil; and pumping the oil having the lower viscosity from the reservoir formation. selecting a nonionic, non-emulsifying surfactant including a hydrophobic constituent, a hydrophilic constituent and a linking group that joins the hydrophobic constituent and the hydrophilic constituent, wherein the hydrophilic constituent is an ethylene oxide constituent having the general formula -(C 2 H 4 O) y, the hydrophobic constituent has the general formula RO- and either (a) R is selected from the group of branched alkyl, cyclic alkyl, and alkaryl groups having 3 to 11 carbon atoms; or (b) R is a linear alkyl group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms; and the linking group that joins the hydrophobic constituent and the hydrophilic constituent has the general formula -(CR 1 R 2 CR 3 R 4 O) x -, where R 1, R 2, R 3, and R 4 are each independently selected from the group of H, branched alkyl, linear alkyl, cyclic alkyl and alkaryl groups having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, with the proviso that one or more of the following apply: that R 1, R 2, R 3, and R 4 cannot all be H and the total number of carbon atoms in R 1 + R 2 + R 3 + R 4 is less than or equal to about 8, (a) R is selected from the group of branched alkyl, cyclic alkyl, and alkaryl groups having 3 to 11 carbon atoms; or (b) R is a linear alkyl group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms; injecting the surfactant with carbon dioxide into the reservoir formation via the injection well, wherein the surfactant is dissolved directly in the carbon dioxide phase in an amount of at least 0.01 weight percent based on a total weight of the composition; forming a stable foam of carbon dioxide and water in the reservoir formation with the nonionic, non-emulsifying surfactant; allowing the carbon dioxide in the stable foam to dissolve into the oil in the reservoir formation to provide a lowered viscosity of the oil; and pumping the oil having the lower viscosity from the reservoir formation.