Assessment of environmental responsibility of oil and gas companies in Russia: the rating method

Environmental rating of oil and gas companies in Russia: How assessment affects environmental transparency and performance

“…Phase 2 of the rating method development was exercised by WWF Russia in 2014 and is subject to continuous adjustments including feedback from the O&G companies (WWF Russia, ). The rating project was developed to green the O&G sector, introduce environmental practices in the scope of priorities of the O&G companies, and drive regulatory activities by the Russian governmental agencies (E. A. Shvarts et al, ; E. A. Shvarts, Knizhnikov, et al, ). At the time of writing, this is the only instrument in Russia allowing comparative assessment of the level of environmental transparency and practices of the largest O&G companies.…”

“…However, the case of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico does not support the above‐mentioned statement (Matejek & Gössling, ). Another example is the Russian Surgutneftegaz Oil Company (no foreign shareholders), which demonstrates the highest score in environment responsibility among companies in Russia (E. A. Shvarts, Knizhnikov, Pakhalov, & Kilzie, ; E. A. Shvarts, Pakhalov, & Knizhnikov, ). This example suggests that some of the national players in emerging economies may repeatedly demonstrate high levels of environmental performance.…”

“…We have previously developed a ratings method for the environmental responsibility of O&G companies, implemented for companies acting in Russia (E. Shvarts, Bunina, et al, ; E. A. Shvarts et al, ). The following three research questions were posed: Can voluntary mechanisms based on international environmental responsibility standards have a significant impact on the O&G sector, comparable to the influence of international voluntary standards applied to soft commodities (timber, marine biological resources, aquaculture, palm oil, soy, etc.…”

“…In our previous publication (E. A. Shvarts et al, ) it was difficult to objectively verify and test such research questions with data and experience of environmental responsibility rating results for only one year (2014 rating on data for 2013). The current article is devoted to verification of those hypotheses and questions on the basis of 3‐year dynamics of the rating data and results (2014–2016), which should provide more definite answers.…”

Carbon Emission Performance of Independent Oil and Natural Gas Producers in the United States

“…Paun [14] links environmental performance to financial performance for energy companies in Romania. Shvarts et al [15] study the environmental responsibility rating of 19 Russian oil and gas companies based on their performance in 2014. The rating results indicate a great divergence in levels of environmental responsibility among the companies, with large and public companies focusing on gas receiving higher ratings than other companies.…”