Title: Presentaci
1Programa de las Naciones Unidaspara el Medio
Ambiente
Programme des Nations Unies pour
lEnvironnementUnited Nations Environment
ProgrammePrograma das Naçoes Unidas o Meio
Ambiente
Environmental Issues and Strategies for the Oil
and Gas Industry
Dr. Diego Masera Regional Co-ordinator of the
Industry Programme
Oficina Regional para América Latina y el
CaribeRegional Office for Latin America and the
Caribbean
Brazil, May 2002
2Major environmentalchallenges
- climate change and air pollution
- freshwater and water management
- depletion of biological resources
- land degradation
- environmental disasters and vulnerability
- awareness raising, education
- oceans and regional seas
- chemicals management
- waste management
3Environmental degradation
-
- Loss of forests 4.5 million ha of
forests lost annually - Degraded soil 243 million ha in South
America, and 65 million ha in Mesoamerica - Biodiversity
- Thousands of endangered species and many
extinct
- In México, 600,000 ha per year- In Central
America, 200,000 per year
4Root causes ofenvironmental degradation
- Economic growth of 3.2 annually
- Poverty Growth 224 million of persons in
1999 (12) - Increased inequity 20 gt income
20 lt income - Increased unemployment
- Lower salary value
- 500,000 professionals left the region
- Economic Model based on the intensive use of
natural resources - Increased External Debt
19 1
- In México, is 160 billion dollars- In Central
America is 17 billion dollars
5Responses
- integration of environmental considerations in
mainstream decision making - life cycle economy
- precautionary approach
- environmental compliance, enforcement
- liability
- knowledge building, sharing of information
- awareness raising, education
- voluntary initiatives/partnership with
accountability
6Role of the oil industry
- Responsibility, accountability, transparency
- technology innovation
- renewable energy
- processes (from the well to the wheel)
- management systems
- supply chain management
- transfer of best practices
- develop and maintain an international standard
7Role of the oil industry (contd)
- voluntary initiatives
- assist in local development
- full support to conventions
- UNFCCC
- biodiversity
- transboundary air pollution
- be part of the UN Secretary-Generals Global
Compact
8Environment issues in offshore sector
- chemicals release and pollution
- greenhouse gas releases
- waste disposal, incl. drilling muds
- decommissioning of platforms
- transport accidents, and risk of blow-outs
- on-shore impacts (eg. waste disposal, ..)
9Some causal factors
- limited company environmental programmes
- inadequate or outdated regulatory frameworks
- lack of life-cycle approach
- environmental approach is not prevention based
- inefficient (polluting) production technologies
- unsustainable consumption of products and
resources - lack of environmental awareness of professionals
- financial mechanisms ignore environment
10Recent management responses
- standardization of EMS/EHS systems
- greater corporate responsibility and ethics
- increase in industry sector codes and initiatives
- social partnerships
- environment and social reporting
- supply chain management
- technology development
- green product development
- But is it enough?
11Recent institutional responses
- systematic environmental assessment regimes
- updated regulatory frameworks
- use of economic instruments
- some acceptance of voluntary mechanisms
- establishment of international conventions
- educational reform in engineering
- But has progress been sufficiently widespread?
12Oil Gas - UNEPs Objective
- to work with strategic sector partners to improve
availability of information about environmental
impacts and management options
13UNEP approach
- synthesize practical information to assist
environmental decision-making by all stakeholders - develop and maintain information systems
- encourage training and raise awareness of key
issues and response options
14Some UN responses
- CSD debate (industry, production and consumption)
- Regional Seas programmes
- international conventions - FCCC, ...
- Global compact and GRI
- corporate environmental benchmarking
- stakeholder dialogue - annual UNEP meeting
- management guidelines
- financial and insurance institutions initiatives
- sustainable consumption patterns
- information systems - OEF
15UNEPs energy programme
- focus on strategic aspects
- environmental focus
- aims to support FCCC, and Kyoto implementation
mechanisms - supports national dialogue on implementation
options - renewable energy policies via Riso
- energy management in CP
16Gobal compact
- Initiative of the Un Secretary General
- Purpose is to bring private sector participation
in UN debate - 3 compact conditions
- human rights
- labour rights
- Agenda 21
17Offshore Environment Forum
- OEF is an Internet site to improve global access
to environmental information - established as partnership project after Rijswijk
conference in 1997 (CSD initiative) - operated by UNEP and UNCTAD for EPForum, Govts
of Norway and the Netherlandds, WWF - interactive, user-oriented
- www.oilandgasforum.net
18What is the OEF ?
- The OEF site is an internet roadmap to guide web
users with different backgrounds and needs to
existing information sources on offshore
activities. - Interaction The OEF Site is structured as an
interactive forum. - Information Users can obtain information and at
the same time, they can provide information, by
publishing their own documents. - Discussion OEF Forum aims to encourage and keep
up a meaningful discussion among the users
19Offshore Environment Forum
20Management of the OEF
- multi-stakeholder management - industry, govt,
public groups, UN - financially supported by partners
- operated by UNEP in Paris
- neutral information system - not campaigning
- option of associate partners for sub-sections of
site
21OEF as a news service
- news on offshore companies, environment
- events calendar
- new publications
- changes in legislation
22OEF as a programme promotion tool
- awareness of your programme
- and your publications
- and your conferences
- linking with your constituents
23OEF as a project support tool
- surveys, eg reporting
- expert meetings
- debate on issues, eg decommissioning
- communications link
24Examples of OEF partner groups
25UNEP the petroleum sectorReporting
- The Social Reporting publication
- The Oil Sector Report
- Accountability, companies requested to report
- Global Reporting Initiative
26UNEP the petroleum sectorSharing information
27Some conclusions
- Many useful initiatives, but insufficient when
seen in context of the problem - witnessing increasing action by companies, but
insufficient concerted co-operative action in
sectors - action needs to focus on causal factors as well
as internal change - needs a more preventive, life-cycle approach
- needs more focus on professional education
- stronger partnership with UN and governments
28Oficina Regional para América Latina y el
CaribeBlvd. de los Virreyes 155, Lomas de
VirreyesCP 11000 México, D.F., MEXICO
http//www.rolac.unep.mx http//www.uneptie.org
http//www.oilandgasforum.net