This World Environment Day, Ipieca joins the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in recognizing that it is 'Time for Nature', acknowledging nature's essential role in supporting life on Earth and the challenging demands human development places on its ecosystems.
Formed at the request of UNEP over 45 years ago, Ipieca is committed to helping the oil and gas industry be 'part of the solution' and continues to promote environmentally responsible operations through good practice guidance, workshops and webinars. Ipieca provides a collaborative platform for the global oil and gas industry to identify and manage environmental risks and impacts across biodiversity and ecosystem services, water, climate change, air quality and oil spill preparedness.
Biodiversity and ecosystem services
For over 18 years, Ipieca has worked to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services management across the life cycle of oil and gas operations, by bringing together the experience and scientific knowledge from within and outside the industry. Ipieca also works closely with the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, and engages with the UN Convention for Biological Diversity secretariat and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, to monitor and track emerging issues and trends.
Climate change
Ipieca recognizes the critical impact climate change has on the environment and has been convening the industry and its key stakeholders for over two decades. Last year, Ipieca released Exploring low-emission pathways for transport, an awareness briefing exploring the wide range of technologies that will be necessary for the transport sector to evolve and looking at the role of the oil and gas industry in the transition to a low-emissions future. It highlights that the transport sector will require a transformation to meet the aim of the Paris Agreement and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Air quality
Air quality is a concern for the environment and public health, with vehicle emissions challenging nature's capacity to provide clean air. Ipieca is a founding member of the UN Environment Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV) and recently launched Lower-sulphur fuels, road transport strategies and air quality improvements, together with PCFV, providing guidance for the management of road transport emissions.
Oil spill preparedness
While prevention is always the ultimate goal, Ipieca gives equally high priority to developing the capability to respond to spills and managing the impacts to the local environment. Ipieca provides a range of resources on mitigating and responding to the impact of spills on shorelines, marine ecology and oiled wildlife.
Ipieca members are committed to continuous performance improvements and integrate conservation considerations into business management systems using a risk-based approach to manage the potential impacts to the environment.
