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The Oil & Gas Industry
and the Environment
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Module 2: Environmental Issues &
Dynamics |
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What can we do? |
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Concern about climate change
and the challenges and risks it pose will require
sustained efforts to develop understanding and effective
solutions while at the same time meeting the growing needs
of society for energy (OGP /IPIECA, 2002)
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Climate change recap
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International Response |
There are two major
multilateral environmental agreements that deal with
climate change:
- The
United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
adopted at UNCED in 1992, has the ultimate objective
of ‘stablisation of greenhouse gas concentrations in
the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous
anthropogenic interference with the climate system’ (UNFCC,
1992). Being a framework treaty, the UNFCCC contained
only a non-binding recommendation for industrialised
countries to return to the 1990 emission levels of CO2
and other GHGs by the year 2000. However, most parties
did not meet this target. In general almost all
anthropogenic GHGs, particularly CO2 continue to
increase.
- The
Kyoto Protocol
contains, for the first time, GHG reduction
targets from most industrialised countries. These
targets range from an obligation to reduce emissions
by 8 percent to a permission to increase by 10 percent
. Overall, industrialised countries are required to
reduce their aggregated emissions to at least 5
percent below the 1990 level in the period 2008 –
2012.
The Montreal Protocol
deals with ozone depleting substances, which provoke
another form of climate change, but are also linked to
global warming effects. |
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The Kyoto Protocol allows collective
implementation of obligations by means of applying
so-called ‘Kyoto mechanisms’. These mechanisms aim
at providing ‘geographical flexibility’ and
reducing the costs of complying with the Kyoto
targets. For example, one of the – the Clean
Development Mechanism – allows industrialised
countries to receive emission credits for carrying
out projects aimed at reducing emissions of GHGs
in developing countries (UNEP – GEO3, 2002)
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Industry response |
Oil and gas companies are
taking steps today to limit greenhouse gas emissions
from operations and to improve customers’ ability to use
our products more efficiently now and in the future.
Company policies and actions are implemented through
operational management systems, instruments and research
and development. While actions differ from company to
company, the include steps such as:
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Efficiency improvements from operations and investment
in cogeneration facilities.
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Research
and development to commercialise innovative
technologies such as fuel cells, advanced fuels and
separation and sequestration of CO2.
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Achieving
greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets from operations
by utilising gas and reducing flaring and venting
wherever possible.
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Participation in commercial ventures on renewable
energy.
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The oil and
gas industry is also contributing to the debate by
improving scientific understanding of climate change and
its impacts and by addressing well-known uncertainties
and supporting research.
[Source:
The Oil
and Gas Industry,
 IPIECA / OGP, 2002] |
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