|
The UN Conference on Environment and Development – the first “Earth Summit” was held in Rio during 1992. It set the stage for a global approach to environmental issues, including global warming, and a number of international agreements were negotiated, such as the Biodiversity Convention and of course the Framework Convention on Global Climate Change. The Rio Summit also produced Agenda 21, an action plan and blueprint for sustainable development. This programme, adopted by 178 countries, defined “sustainable development ”as providing for today ’s needs without endangering the capacity to provide for those same needs in the future. It entails integrating social, economic and environmental issues. Five years after the “Earth Summit”, at the 19th Special Session of the UN General Assembly (Earth Summit Plus Five), held in New York in June 1997, then Deputy President Thabo Mbeki stated that “Agenda 21 remains the fundamental programme of action for achieving sustainable development through the integration of economic, environmental and social components”. At this meeting, Minister Pallo Jordan committed South Africa to a national strategy on sustainable development. For its part, Sapia has strongly supported this commitment - in deeds rather than just words. (See below:“South African Oil industry’s progress in moving towards environmental sustainability”). Ten years after the “Earth Summit”, when South Africa will host the World Summit, leaders of most of the 188 UN member states will be present. There were 178 countries and 15, 000 delegates of non-Government organisations at the Rio Summit. There are likely to be 40, 000 delegates coming to South Africa, including many Heads of State. SAPIA’S INTERNATIONAL ANTI-POLLUTION ROLE The global oil industry, through the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) is currently compiling a report outlining the role it plays in promoting and adopting sustainable practices in its worldwide operations. South African efforts are prominent. Two examples of the South African oil industry approach were presented at the 9th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in New York in April, and were seen as sound actions in a developing country. They received “headlines” in the daily meeting reports of the Commission for Sustainable Development. The two examples were:
THE SOUTH AFRICAN OIL INDUSTRY’S PROGRESS IN MOVING TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY Sapia members will be using the occasion of the orld Summit to review their own progress in moving towards sustainability. Here are some examples of what has been done to minimise any environmental impacts associated with oil industry activities in South Africa. DECADES OF EFFORT South African oil companies have been working for some time on ways to minimise the environmental impact of liquid fuels. The first initiative was taken some 20 years ago when the local oil companies combined forces and formed the South African Oil Industry Environment Committee (OIEC) to coordinate their efforts in managing potential environmental impacts that might arise from their activities. The broad nature of the oil industry’s activities requires that a number of different environmental issues be addressed. These include:
The OIEC is affiliated to IPIECA and through this connection is able to ensure that its efforts to manage the issues identified above are on par with international best practice, some examples of which follow. MARINE OIL SPILLS Over 19, 5 million tonnes of crude oil are brought into South Africa annually to feed our four refineries. Statistics show that the most likely time for a marine oil spill to occur is during berthing and unloading in a port. Similarly, spills also occur when vessels are being loaded with fuel. In order to address this risk, the oil companies have together bought oil spill response equipment, such as booms to contain the oil on the water and skimmers to remove the oil from the water surface, and positioned this in all the ports and harbours. Oil spill contingency plans have been compiled for each area so that immediate action can be taken to limit the impact of any spillage. REFINERY EMISSIONS Once landed, the crude oil is processed at four crude oil refineries, two of which are situated in Durban, one in Cape Town and one in Sasolburg. Additionally a liquid fuel from gas refinery is situated in Mossel Bay and a liquid fuel from coal refinery in Secunda. These refineries as a group are currently in the process of drawing up and entering into an Environmental Management Co-operation Agreement with Government. At present the Government lays down no national ambient air quality standards and therefore it is the intention of the refinery industry to properly manage both air and water emissions by means of this new agreement. SPILLS DURING ROAD AND RAIL TRANSPORT Once the fuel has been produced at the refineries it needs to be transported by road or rail, and sometimes pipeline, to distribution depots and service stations around the country. Although regulations have been significantly tightened in recent years to reduce accidental spillages, these do on occasions still happen. These spillages can cause contamination of valuable groundwater or surface water resources if not properly cleaned up. To deal with this, the OIEC has bought 43 oil spill response trailers, and positioned these on the major rail and road routes in South Africa and the neighbouring states. The trailers all contain equipment and materials that can be used to rapidly clean up any spillages and avoid environmental contamination. LEAKAGES FROM UNDERGROUND TANKS AT SERVICE STATIONS In the past, the petrol and diesel underground storage tanks at service stations and commercial sites were made from welded steel with a coal tar coating. The pipes were made from steel, also with various coatings and wrappings. These tanks, and particularly the pipes, tended to rust in certain areas, which resulted in leaks and contamination of groundwater. The oil companies recognised this problem and in 1993 revised the specifications for the tanks and pipes so as to avoid any corrosion. The tanks are now coated with at least a 2, 5mm layer of glass fibre and the pipes are made of a type of plastic so that rust can no longer result in leaks. Not all old tanks have been removed yet, but additional measures have been put in place to minimise the chance of leaks from these tanks. Areas with underground water resources around the country have been classified according to their sensitivity to contamination so that these can be prioritised for tank replacement programmes. HEALTH EFFECTS RELATED TO EXHAUST EMISSIONS Certain health effects, such as respiratory diseases, have been linked to car exhaust fumes in areas with high vehicle densities, which in turn have been linked to the composition of the fuels. It has therefore been necessary for the oil refineries to change their processes over time to produce fuels that facilitate changes in engine technology that result in less harmful exhaust fumes. An example of this was the introduction of unleaded petrol in early 1996 at a cost of R270 million to the oil industry. This step not only removed a potentially harmful substance from the petrol but also made it possible to introduce catalytic converters on new cars. The use of catalytic converters reduces the emission of other harmful substances in exhaust fumes by up to 95%and therefore their use should be encouraged. Similarly, the refineries are in the process of reducing the level of sulphur in diesel, which has also been linked to health effects through the emission of particulates (black smoke) in the exhausts. However, it must be said that even with all the best fuels available, badly maintained and tuned vehicles will still emit significant amounts of pollutants. HARMFUL EFFECTS OF FUELS Most fuels are potentially harmful if not handled properly. Paraffin is widely used for domestic purposes. Each year, large numbers of young children become ill from accidentally drinking paraffin, thinking that it is water. In order to address this issue, the oil companies formed the Paraffin Safety Association of Southern Africa in 1995. Some R6 million is spent each year by the Association to produce safety caps and bottles for the safe storage of paraffin in the house as well as on national education programmes to make users aware of the potential dangers of drinking paraffin. A big drive is also underway to reduce the number of fires in informal settlements that are linked to paraffin use. USED LUBRICATING OILS Huge amounts of used lubricating oils have in the past been irresponsibly dumped by workshops and DIY mechanics resulting in serious pollution. The lubricant companies addressed this issue by forming the ROSE Foundation to collect and re-use this oil. Over 8400 used oil collection tanks have now been placed at locations around the country. The oil from these tanks is collected by specialised trucks and taken to depots from where it is taken to recyclers. This programme, having cost the Industry some R100 million since 1996, has collected 180 million litres, preventing this amount from polluting the environment. It is clear that the local Oil Industry has made great strides in improving its environmental performance over the years. However, this should not be a reason for complacency and the challenges of continuous improvement need to be met. |
The conference is the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(World Summit), planned as “Rio + 10”, and its decisions could affect
life on earth for many decades to come. Its long-term significance to mankind,
and its immediate impact on South Africa as host to the orld Summit conference,
can be appreciated in the statistics and history of this United Nations
initiative.