...Natural Gas Name Course Instructor’s Name Date Submitted Natural gas is classified as a fossils fuel and is abundant in most parts of the world. It is referred to as ‘natural gas’ because it occurs naturally as a hydrocarbon that is an element from carbon and hydrogen atoms. It consists mainly of methane and is colorless. It is known to be the simplest type of hydrocarbon (Originenergy.com.au, 2015). Natural gas is a very efficient energy source apart from being environmental friendly. It is known to be the cleanest-burning conventional fuel because it emits smaller amounts of greenhouse gases as compared to the heavier hydrocarbon fuels like coal. The primary compositions of natural gas are methane (CH4), ethane and propane. Natural gas is mainly used to fuel electric power generators, the raw material for making consumer products from plastics and heats buildings. This paper explores the advantages and problems associated with extraction, processing, transportation and use of natural gas. Advantages of natural gas Natural gas is available worldwide in abundance. In the US only, there are over a trillion barrels of gas reserves that are yet to be harvested. Just like other sources of fuel like coal and oil, natural gas is a viable power source that has to be conserved. It is estimated in the coming years more sites with natural gas will be discovered. The US department of energy predicts there will be a rise...
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...Running Head: CANADA'S PERVERSE SUBSIDIES TO OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY 6 Canada's Oil and Gas Industry's Lack of Initiative to Reduce GHG Emissions Supported by Government Subsidies CANADA'S PERVERSE SUBSIDIES TO OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY 6 The lack of reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, as required in the Kyoto Protocol, by Canada's Oil and Gas industry can be blamed on the “perverse” subsidies provided by the Canadian government. According to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), in 2011, Canada is rated as “... the third largest producer of natural gas... and the seventh largest producer of crude oil in the world.” Since Canada's Oil and Gas industry is a major supplier in the world market, government subsidies that support the exploration of new methods of extracting resources as they become more inaccessible and scarce is justifiable; but according to Ecojustice (2010) Canada supplies billions in subsidies to the Oil and Gas industry annually while greenhouse gas emissions skyrocket. This violates the requirements set out in the Kyoto Protocol as well as affects Canada's reputation in the global marketplace as organizations such as the OECD question this government practice. The government of Canada supports a global-scale industry at the expense of its taxpayers; which given the amplitude of the industry, it is highly unnecessary for such a government policy to exist. Basic statistics provided...
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...Corporate Social Responsibility in the Oil and Gas Industry Corporate social responsibility is the concept that has been increasingly used in present day business rhetoric. Although the concept itself is relatively new, it has become widely present and today there are no major companies that do not have some kind of CSR agenda. The role of CSR in the oil and gas industry has been at the forefront of promoting the idea of CSR. The oil companies today devote attention to sensible issues related to the society and environment in which they operate. The main reason why the companies today try to behave, or at least try be seen as behaving more responsible, is that such behavior is favorable to their financial success. Hence, although they behave more responsible to some extent, it would be wrong to claim that they are more ethical and moral. This is evident from often present manipulation of CSR actions and the fact that a lot of CSR rhetoric is geared towards advertisement purposes. As some companies devote more resources to the external communication of CSR practices, this creates an image that they are more responsible. In order to get the insight into the real role of CSR in the industry, a critical analysis of the CSR strategy of Exxon is presented below. Exxon is a major global oil multinationals that have significant influence on the oil industry and is a trend and standard setter. The concept of CSR itself is divided into two main spheres – macro and micro. Former...
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...Development vs. Environment Protection Whether international leadership and worldwide cooperation should place particular emphasis on protection of the environment is a controversial issue that has drawn considerable attention recently. According to Vishwa Mohan, there was a debate on the climate-damaging refrigerant gas, that whether the UNFCCC principles should apply for phasing out the HFC at Warsaw green meeting on Nov, 18, 2013. As a matter of fact, during the phase-out of CFC (chlorofluorocarbon) under the Montreal Protocol, manufacturers of equipment such as car air conditioners and kitchen refrigerators modified their product to use HFC instead. On the one hand, though HFC was not an ozone-depleting gas, the US and other developed countries contended that addressing HFC under the Montreal Protocol was for the common good. While on the other hand, India and many developing counties including Persian Gulf nations preferred to give priority to their domestic industries, which alternative technologies and low cost were taken into consideration. Admittedly, this controversial issue exhausts the practical applications of Utilitarianism to a certain extent. For Rachels’ perspective, “According to Classical Utilitarianism, an action is right if it produces the greatest overall balance of happiness over unhappiness.” (Rachels 110) As far as I am concerned, I tend to believe that emphasis on the overwhelming importance of phasing out HFC for the purpose of protecting environment does not...
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...energy consumers, to renewable energy consumers. The European Union and fossil energy resources Only 15.59% of all oil the EU member states consume comes from their own natural resources. This means that 84,41% comes from non-EU members which shows how dependent we as the EU are on other countries. The EU is mostly dependent (42,4%) on the FSU (former soviet union) with Russia as its biggest supplier.[1] This means that they decide whether the prices are high or low. And nowadays, with the oil peak that is reached and other negative forecasts, barrel prices are increasing rapidly. Next to oil, another major energy resource is gas. By 2030, 60% of all natural gas the EU consumes comes from Russia too.[2] Clearly, Russia is of big importance for the EU’s economy since each and every European company needs natural resources for its processes. Oil and gas are substances that are created millions of years ago. It took humanity only two centuries to use, or should I say, abuse it all. In the beginning people have always thought that these sources were inexhaustible but scientists have proven them wrong. Now the...
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...Toyota Motor Corporation Strengths • Global organization, with a strong international position in 170 countries worldwide. • High financial strength (1997, sales turnover, £131,511 million), sales growth of 29.3%[1] • Strong brand image based on quality, environmental friendly (greener), customized range. • Industry leader in manufacturing and production. Maximizes profit through efficient lean manufacturing approaches (e.g. Total Quality Management) and JIT (Just in Time) manufacturing and first mover in car research and development[2]. • Excellent penetration in key markets (US, China, EMEA) and now the second largest car manufacturer in the world, surpassing Ford. Weakness • Japanese car manufacturer - seen as a foreign importer. • Production capacity. Toyota produces most of its cars in US and Japan whereas competitors may be more strategically located worldwide to take advantage of global efficiency gains. • Some criticism has been made due to large-scale re-call made in 2005, quality issues. Opportunities • Innovation -first to develop commercial mass-produced hybrid gas-electric vehicles (gas and electric), e.g. Prius model. Based on advanced technologies and R&D activity. With oil prices at an all time high - this investment and widening of product portfolio fits consumers looking to alternative sources of fuels away from gas guzzling cars[3]. • To expand more aggressively into new segments of the market. The launch of Aygo model by Toyota is intended to take...
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...for the efficient functioning of world economy:they are the first component used to manufacture or to produce goods, so it remains even more important in our society because of globalization. Some surveys prove that needs in raw materials leads to interdependency between states. This report is here to highlight the importance of raw material and the geostrategic problems that it creates. Do we have enough quantity of raw material, in partiular carbons, to satisfy a growing worldwide consumption in energy? How do raw materials have an impact on geostrategy? To find answers to theses questions, I will first discuss about raw materials, specifically carbon energy, their importance and their “fate”, and then highlight the worldwide competition for natural resources. I. Our dependecy to Raw Material All our natural resources, except 2 of them, oil and natural gas, are doomed to exhaustion. Why? In june 2010, the European Commision releases a report on the “critical raw material” and their proven reserves worldwide. A critical raw material is a resource subject to a higher risk of interuption. Basically they are many risks factors: low political stability (Sub-Saharian African countries), lack of investment, local Pépin Loïc – ICC 3ème Bachelor CE2 conflicts or international disputes. Here, it's the list of “critical raw materials” and their proven reserves: Graphite (China), Cobalt (Diplomatic Republic of Congo), Tungsten (China),...
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...business in the transition to sustainability. According to the report, "Business and Development: Challenges and Opportunities in a Rapidly Changing World," published this month by WBCSD, "the world is experiencing a historic shift of economic and political power from the traditional base of industrialized countries to the emerging economies." As the report points out, by 2050, three of the four largest economies -- China, India, and Brazil -- will be those of countries now described as developing. As development in those and other countries intensifies, their populations will become increasingly urban. By 2050, when the world's population is expected to be about 9 billion, 70 percent of the world's population will live in urban environments, with the great majority living in cities in developing countries. "Urbanization is happening fast," the report observes, "And most of it is being poorly managed, putting hundreds of millions of the urban poor in harm's way." As the economic emergence of developing countries continues, global consumption patterns will become increasingly critical. "Global consumption patterns and trends are putting unsustainable and increasing stress on the Earth's ecosystems, the supply of material resources needed for industrial growth, and human social systems and well-being," the report said. The role of business in addressing the problems of urbanization and unsustainable consumption will be important. "There is no longer a choice between...
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...Implications for the environment a) Implications in determining the consequences and development within the technological society and the effects a technology has on an organisms, its habitat, what capacity the natural ecosystems have to support life, and biodiversity The development of technology within society has many benefits; however it has shown adverse effects on our natural environment. The need to reach for new advances if we are not managed appropriately can collapse natural ecosystems. Regretfully our ideologies have caused the vast social problems that we are forced to deal with today. Technology advancements have positive implications, but it has also had devastating effects on the environment. We have been practicing a growth at any and all cost ideology in regards to technology and the damage it is causing to the environment. This has created an every growing social issue. This attitude has led to the loss of biodiversity that will inevitably bring the collapse of ecosystems. We take more resources from the earth and space as our population increases.As a result we are disrupting the habitats of animal species that live in undeveloped areas. As we expand our range to make room for new communities we inadvertently displace the natural order of insects, animals and plants that occupy the land. Our attitude towards growth and technology serves human needs and comfort at the expense of animals, organism and the ecosystems that sustain them. Our reliance...
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...Change (UNFCCC) or The Kyoto Protocol has become a universal agreement framed within. The fundamental goal of the treaty is to safeguard our environment out from the negative effects of global climate change and minimize the gas emissions, which in turn provoke the phenomenon referred to as global warming. Consequently, considering the direct human culpability from this environmental dilemma, this specific treaty attempts to engage countries throughout the globe to take action to protect against worldwide climate change. The Kyoto Protocol ensures legally binding obligations towards the decrease of four greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide or co2, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexachloride), as well as two categories of emissions (hydrofluorocarbons and fluorocarbons) countries around the world which signed and ratified the protocol needs to execute between 2008 and 2012. Varieties of greenhouse-gas pollutants must decrease by approximately 5.2% from this time-period taking into account the gas pollution levels. However, bear in mind, this 5.2% reducing around the greenhouse emissions from 1990 is known as a world-wide percentage, and therefore, each country possesses his own discharge's percentages, which in turn be required to decrease. In conclusion, nevertheless, there truly an expanding commitment and pressure to participate a worldwide international deal in preserving our planet from mankind´ obstruction on global climate change, there are undoubtedly substantial counter-interests...
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...Impact of Shale Gas Production on the Market Fundamentals and Energy Security of Certain Countries ICCG Think Tank Map: a worldwide observatory on climate think tanks IMPACT OF SHALE GAS PRODUCTION ON THE MARKET FUNDAMENTALS AND ENERGY SECURITY OF CERTAIN COUNTRIES Ekaterina Zelenovskaya, ICCG 1 Impact of Shale Gas Production on the Market Fundamentals and Energy Security of Certain Countries Impact of Shale Gas Production on the Market Fundamentals and Energy Security of Certain Countries Ekaterina Zelenovskaya, ICCG Abstract The world’s unconventional gas base such as tight gas, coalbed methane (CBM) and shale gas are estimated to be as abundant as conventional gas resources. The recent start of shale gas production in the North America has significantly influenced major regional gas markets around the world. This article intends to examine the impact of shale gas production to the situation with the energy markets and energy security of particular countries, such as United States and countries of Continental Europe. 2 Overview of Shale Gas Production Activities and their Impact on Regional Energy Security Shale Gas and Energy Security Energy production and use have various environmental implications since energy represents about 1 65% of global anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions. The general belief/opinion is that fossil fuels will remain the dominant source of primary energy in the following decades. However, natural gas, having...
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...A.P. Moller–Maersk Group: a Danish business conglomerate A.P. Moller-Maersk (“Maersk Group") is an international conglomerate. A.P. Moller (1876–1965) and his father Captain Peter Maersk Moller founded what would become the Maersk Group in Svendborg, Denmark in 1904. Maersk is a diversified enterprise owning one of the world's largest shipping companies; Maersk is involved in a wide range of activities; it has business operations in the logistics including shipping, transportation and offshore activities. It additionally provides various services in the areas of energy, banking, retail, and manufacturing sectors. Furthermore the Group is involved in the production of Oil, gas and other Oil related activities, including drilling and offshore services. The Maersk Group operates through five core business divisions, which include Maersk Line, APM Terminals, Maersk Oil, Maersk Drilling and Services & Other Shipping. The last business area is comprised of Maersk Supply Service, Maersk Tankers, Damco and Svitzer. The Group owns and operates container carriers, bulk carriers, supply and specialty ships and tankers. The Group is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark and comprises approximately 1,000 companies and they employ roughly around 89,000 people with operations spread across more than 130 countries including the triads (Maersk.com). Maersk primarily operates in the Europe, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. The company generated revenues of DKK 277 billion (approximately...
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...methane gas and toxic chemicals and contaminate groundwater. “Hydraulic fracturing is used after the drilled hole is completed. Put simply, hydraulic fracturing is the use of fluid and material to create or restore small fractures in a formation in order to stimulate production from new and existing oil and gas wells. This creates paths that increase the rate at which fluids can be produced from the reservoir formations, in some cases by many hundreds of percent.” (Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 2010) This process allows production in older oil and natural gas fields. Hydraulic fracturing has been used in the United States since the 1940’s. “The U.S. has vast reserves of natural gas that are commercially viable as a result of advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies enabling greater access to gas in shale formations. Responsible development of America's shale gas resources offers important economic, energy security, and environmental benefits.” (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2013) Fractures in Onshore shale and Tight Rock formations are oil fracking. It can be natural or man-made through rock. The fluid includes water, sand, ceramic and often chemicals. “High-pressure Fracking is done from a wellbore drilled into reservoir rock formations to increase the rate and ultimate recovery of Shale Oil and Light Tight Oil. Most times a Shale Oil formation only needs to be Fracked once, where as a Natural Gas formation...
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...the role process safety metrics and indicators play in helping organizations continously improve their management of process risks. Participants will learn how world class organizations use safety metrics, including leading and lagging indicators in their journey towards excellence. DuPont has eleven best practice workshops available and is designed to introduce participants to DuPont’s best practices and describe how their participanting can help the organization prevent process related injuries and incidents. DuPont has been implementing Process Safety Management and Operational Risk Management concepts in their facilities and at sites worldwide for over 30 years. The productive costs of DuPont Industries is as follows as of 2012: Energy- 2.4% reduction in non-renewable energy intensity since 2010. DuPont...
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...naturalist and scientist, convey a powerful message describing the meaning of the term “veganism”. It has quickly become a popular lifestyle worldwide, and it has contributed to numerous positive effects for people and the environment. Veganism is a revolutionary lifestyle, it can put an end to issues such as, environmental damage, animal cruelty, and health problems that are caused by meat and animal product consumption. There are many things that impact the environment but...
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