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Energy

About this sector

Energy is required every day in different forms and its use lies at the core of modern industrialized society. Global demand for energy is growing steadily, particularly in emerging countries seeking economical development. Nowadays, fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas), nuclear and renewable sources (solar and wind energy, hydropower, biofuels) are the three main types of energy resources.

Impacts

  • Habitat loss and alteration from infrastructure development, biofuel cultivation and hydropower production.
  • Water consumption for the production of oil and gas, as well as biofuel that can impact local water supplies.
  • Greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels and the clearance of forest for biofuel cultivation.
  • Pollution from oil spills, nuclear waste and agricultural chemicals used in biofuel production.

Opportunities/Risks

  • Regulatory risk: increasing requirements for redress through legislation such as the EU Liability Directive, and that of countries such as Brazil and the USA that requires impacts to be offset or compensated for.
  • License to operate: strong relationships with regulators can result in obtaining agreement to operate in less time.
  • Reputation: managing biodiversity can ensure a good reputation among local communities, governments and other stakeholders.

Case Studies


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Rehabilitated sites

Rehabilitated sites

Syncrude Canada Ltd., located in the Athabasca Oil Sands, Alberta, is the world’s largest producer of synthetic crude oil from oil sands and the largest single-source producer in Canada. It supplies about 13% of Canada’s oil requirements and has approximately 5 billion barrels of proven and probable reserves. Syncrude has a production capacity of 350,000 barrels per day with an expected capacity of 425,000 barrels per day by 2020. The company is a joint venture with seven partners, including Canadian Oil Sands Limited, Imperial Oil, Suncor Energy, Nexen, ConocoPhillips, Mocal Energy and Murphy Oil. Syncrude is not traded directly, but rather through the individual partners. Syncrude employs more than 5,000 employees with an additional 1,500 contractors supporting its operations. Since start-up in 1978, Syncrude has made payments in excess of $10 billion for payroll and to governments for royalties, municipal taxes and other Crown charges.


Tools and Mechanisms


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Biodiversity Neutral Initiative

Biodiversity Neutral Initiative

http://www.business-biodiversity.eu/default.asp?Me...

Biodiversity Neutral Initiative (BNI) helps companies assess biodiversity impacts, implement best practices with respect to the biodiversity mitigation hierarchy and then offset net residual damage to become biodiversity neutral. Biodiversity Neutral Initiative (BNI) is global in scope, collaborating with major international conservation groups, energy and mining companies, socially responsible investors, auditing and certification companies, and government regulators.
Business for a better world

Business for a better world

http://www.bsr.org/

Business for a better world helps companies integrate ecosystem services into corporate decision making, risk assessment, and supply chain management processes. It has produced an analysis of the environmental markets and is investigating ecosystem services assessment tools.
The European Cement Association

The European Cement Association

http://www.cembureau.be/

CEMBUREAU, the European Cement Association based in Brussels, is the representative organisation of the cement industry in Europe. The Association acts as spokesperson for the cement industry in dealings with the European Union institutions and other public authorities.  It communicates the industry’s views on all issues and policy developments with regard to technical, environmental, energy, and promotional issues.
European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EuroACE)

European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EuroACE)

http://www.euroace.org

EuroACE's mission is to work with the European institutions to help Europe move towards a more sustainable pattern of energy use in buildings, thereby contributing to the EU's commitments on carbon emission reductions.
European Construction Industry Federation

European Construction Industry Federation

http://www.fiec.org

Created in 1905, FIEC is the European Construction Industry Federation, representing via its 34 national Member Federations in 29 countries (27 EU & EFTA, Croatia and Turkey) construction enterprises of all sizes, i.e. small and medium-sized enterprises as well as 'global players', carrying out all forms of building and civil engineering activities

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