Challenges and environmental issues in developing hydrocarbon resources in the World ocean

Abstract

The oil and gas industry has been evolving for 150 years. Despite the predictions on the diminishing role of hydrocarbons in the second half of the 21st century, today they play a leading role in the global energy sector. In view of this there is some interest to study current development trends of the industry. This paper reviews and analyses data for the period from 2011 to 2021, which relate to the development of hydrocarbon resources in the marine and ocean environment. It was important for the authors to consider how the trends they highlighted are affecting or will affect ecosystems. The conducted research has showed that today there are three main development trends in hydrocarbon mining in the World ocean: development of the marine Arctic, continental shelf and the possibility to organize commercial production in the deep sea areas of the World ocean. For each of the directions both existing and potential ecological risks have been identified. They include loss of marine biodiversity, activation of dangerous geological processes, unpredictability of ocean environment, man-made accidents and disasters, discharges of drilling and other industrial waste, etc. The work has also identified the challenges facing the oil and gas industry. These include the search for new technologies for deep-sea production, poorly understood depth of the World ocean, need for new approaches in environmental risk management, as well as the creation of a legal framework for subsoil use regulation in new environments and areas.

Marine environmental protection in mineral resource development in the arctic zone of Russia

“…As scientists note, oil and gas operations on the shelf, despite the increased attention of the state authorities, operating companies, public to the observance of safety, control and supervision over all stages of field development and constant improvement of technological processes, remain a rather unpredictable type of economic activity [3]. Among the most significant threats to the Arctic marine environment conservation scientists name oil and oil product spills [3,4,5], pollution of water and bottom sediments with heavy metals (6), plastic (7,8), biological pollution with invasive (alien) species imported by ships with ballast water [9,10], the negative impact of noise generated by ships and drilling operations, burial of waste and other materials, including radioactive objects [11,12].…”

“…Explosions and leaks from oil and gas pipelines, ship collisions with ice, removal and movement of soil during construction of platforms and oil terminals, pipeline laying, emissions from ships and platforms during mining and transportation of mineral resources, drilling works, discharges of drilling and other industrial waste [3], oil spills occurring as a result of a well or during tanker traffic [4,5], etc. are considered the main sources of pollution.…”

“…are considered the main sources of pollution. Exploration and development of subsoil areas, dumping production and consumption wastes, shelf construction result in acoustic pollution of water masses and air, activation of dangerous geological processes and technogenic accidents and disasters [3,5,13]. Of all of these, the exploration and development of oil and gas fields should be ranked among the most hazardous for the Arctic marine environment.…”

“…Ekzaryan and A.K. Akhmadiev are justified, the oil and gas industry is facing the problems related to finding new technologies for production in deep water areas, new approaches in managing environmental risks, and creating a legal basis for regulating subsoil use in new conditions and areas [5].…”

“…In legal science, scientists pay attention to the problems of regulation in the field of environmental protection and ensuring environmental safety when using subsoil [15,16], in the sphere of granting the right to use subsoil areas and environmental protection of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation [17], the issue of the need for a special legislative act establishing the features of legal regime of the Arctic ecosystems' protection [18,19] is discussed. In a number of works, both Russian and foreign [20,21], it is noted that today the legal problems of organizing mining in the World Ocean are still unresolved [5]. It should be noted that until now, the issues of legal regulation in the field of marine environment protection during the exploration and development of oil and gas fields in the Arctic zone of Russia have not become an independent subject of research.…”