Module Overview
Several decades of major environmental legislation and regulation of air, water, and solid wastes has produced an extremely complex matrix of regulations and obligations which have been imposed on the oil and gas industry. Environmental compliance now represents a significant cost of doing business, both in terms of cost of compliance, and in terms of the possible penalties and fines which could be incurred as a result of non-compliance.
The course initially provides an introduction to the development of national and international environmental law, and basic issues and principles. It also deals with the main national, regional and international instruments and their inter-relationship.
Later topics provide an overview of the oil and gas and energy industries, including the impacts of these industries on the environment, marine pollution, and environmental impacts of the decommissioning of offshore installations. They highlight the regulatory instruments available to address issues of environmental damage at international, national and industry level.
Final topics deal with the environmental impacts from nuclear energy, and issues concerning climate change within the context of international and national regulation.