Analysis of Environmental Sustainability through a Weighting Matrix in the Oil and Gas Industry

Camilo Andrés Guerrero-Martin, Angie Tatiana Ortega-Ramírez (), Paula Alejandra Perilla Rodríguez, Shalom Jireth Reyes López, Laura Estefanía Guerrero-Martin, Raúl Salinas-Silva and Stefanny Camacho-Galindo
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Camilo Andrés Guerrero-Martin: LOTEP—Laboratório de Operações e Tecnologias Energéticas Aplicadas na Indústria do Petróleo, Faculty of Petroleum Engineering, Federal University of Pará, Salinópolis 66075-110, Brazil
Angie Tatiana Ortega-Ramírez: Fundación Universidad de América, Management, Environment and Sustainability Research Group (GIGAS), Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Faculty, Eco Campus de los Cerros, Bogotá 111221, Colombia
Paula Alejandra Perilla Rodríguez: Fundación Universidad de América, Management, Environment and Sustainability Research Group (GIGAS), Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Faculty, Eco Campus de los Cerros, Bogotá 111221, Colombia
Shalom Jireth Reyes López: Fundación Universidad de América, Management, Environment and Sustainability Research Group (GIGAS), Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Faculty, Eco Campus de los Cerros, Bogotá 111221, Colombia
Laura Estefanía Guerrero-Martin: Fundación de Educación Superior San José—Usanjose, Bogotá 110311, Colombia
Raúl Salinas-Silva: Fundación de Educación Superior San José—Usanjose, Bogotá 110311, Colombia
Stefanny Camacho-Galindo: Fundación de Educación Superior San José—Usanjose, Bogotá 110311, Colombia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: In the oil sector, various strategies are applied to mitigate harmful effects on the environment. These strategies include, among others, compensation plans, the measurement and control of the carbon footprint and/or water footprint, the recovery of waste from activities and processes, and Environmental Management Systems (EMS). An EMS provides a formal framework that enables more efficient work on environmental issues, thereby improving performance. It aims to raise awareness of the environmental impacts associated with the oil industry in different areas through the use of weighting matrices. Additionally, it seeks to conduct sustainable studies and optimize the direct activities involved in the exploitation of hydrocarbons as a natural resource. Factors considered in decision making include ensuring that the strategy does not compromise the well-being of future generations, has economic viability, and does not hinder any oil sector activities such as exploration, drilling, production, or processing of derivatives. The purpose of this is that it allows for the creation of decision matrices based on weighting methodologies that outline possible correlations between specific activities of the oil sector such as water use, effects on soils and landscapes, greenhouse gas emissions, solid waste, liquid effluents, hazardous waste, and toxic waste, among others. The decision matrices can also help elucidate the relationship of these activities with mitigation strategies to provide a decision-making tool for environmental management plans so that activities are implemented in a way that can mitigate impacts on water, soil, and air resources. The results of this study were classified using a traffic light matrix, based on the level of technical congruence, using an optimal (green), regular (yellow), medium (orange), and at-risk (red) scale. The environmental impact of “alteration of the geoform of the land” was positioned in the at-risk category due to its assessment by experts in relation to the activity of “land adaptation”. In the medium category, a total of 23 impacts were identified, while 10 impacts fell into the regular category. These results were evaluated in the context of the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of the oil industry.

Keywords: activities; industry; environment; optimization; risk (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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