The world’s environment is undergoing constant change due to human activities. It has been going on for thousands of years, humans altered the surrounding environment to serve their own needs. Most of our surroundings now have been touched by the human hand. The natural balance that existed between humans and mother earth no longer exists. Unfortunately, these changes backfired and caused side effects which are not very pleasant. These are very evident if one would research the state of Earths air, water and soil for example. The changes in our environment are happening due to the transformation and transportation of large amounts of energy and materials. If we take a look at natural systems, they transform the energy of the sun into living matter and cause changes by cycling material through natural processes as opposed to human activities which transform materials and energy into products to meet human aspirations.
Since the 18th century, 6 million km2 of forests were lost. Incidences, where land has been damaged to an extent where its biotic function was lost, is increasing. According to a study from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), vegetated soil degradation has reached 1964.4 acres (17% of Earths land) in the last 45 years. This is happening due to deforestation, overexploitation, improper industrial practices etc. All these environmental changes can be diminished if corporations start utilizing their resources in a correct manner. An industry that can contribute greatly to improving the condition of Earth is the oil and gas industry, but before we enter that topic it is important to know the definition of sustainability. Sustainability aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising future generations ability to meet theirs. Sustainability is made of three pillars; economic, social and environmental. To read more on sustainability click here.
As mentioned above the oil and gas industry play a pivotal role in sustainability. Balancing the three pillars is a challenge. The oil and gas industry should be managing its operations in a safe manner and reduce emissions, discharges and ecological impact, but at the same time provide energy at a reasonable cost. At Carraigmore Resources Group (CRG) we are constantly working to improve all three pillars of sustainability and the way they impact the environment, economy and society. The aim is not to sustain the production of oil and gas exclusively, it is meeting the needs of the society on a global scale at a fair cost, in a safe manner and with minimal impact on the environment.
The main agenda of sustainability is making sure that the world achieves a balance between three factors: economic development, environmental responsibility, and social progress. There is no way to accomplish this if there are countries which do not have access to energy which is needed to develop, maintain and improve quality of life. Many countries are facing water scarcity which also compromises the agenda of sustainability. It is not only the responsibility of individuals to contribute to a sustainable environment by following simple routines, but also huge corporations which should manage their resources and learn to lead an eco-friendly practice.