2.2 O&G Activities and Their Impact on Host Environments …
17
According to Redford (2006), Total and Unocal were formally informed by their
consultants about the brutal and inhumane way the Burmese military treated villagers
and the forced labour they were subjected to by the Burmese military. The company
had “clear knowledge of [the] abuse” that took place (Redford, 2006, p. 131). Unocal
was involved in a lawsuit issued by 11 Burmese villagers and subsequently invested
in compensatory social investments to increase the local populations’ health and
education. According to a local villager, quoted by Redford (2006) “[…] if there was
no pipeline, there would be no foreigners. If there were no foreigner, there would be
no soldiers, so we could have our own… life as we had it before” (Redford, 2006,
p. 132).
The conclusion of the Upstream and Midstream activities in a region may also
cause negative impacts. Activities such as O&G prospecting and pipeline route
construction are temporary and require high numbers of workers. When the operation
ceases, the workforce is generally transferred to other projects in different locales. As
a result, the demand for products and local services decreases and the new businesses
created to attend the elevated demands may struggle to survive (Ackah-Baidoo,
2012). Once the project reaches an end, workers tend to fly back to their homeland
or to the next operational locale, which means new families may be deserted. I have
witnessed such occurrences following the conclusion of Upstream projects in the
Amazon region.
O&G activities also promote indirect impacts. For instance, offshore seismic and
drilling activities impact the natural environment where communities reside (Ross,
2001). Empirical studies (Egyir, 2012; Joyce & MacFarlane, 2001; Norlen, 2005)
indicate that O&G seismic surveys temporarily interfere with marine mammals’
natural functions, such as navigation. Norlen (2005), Stone and Tasker (2006) and
Thomson (1995) postulate that O&G seismic activities might hinder some whales’
ability to detect socially relevant signals, impairing biologically important processes
in the case of the Blue Whale and the Western Gray Whale. Such harm could lead to
the disappearance of such species, interfering in the balance of the oceans’ ecosystem.
An unbalanced oceanic ecosystem thus impacts fishery-dependent communities
(O’Rourke & Connolly, 2003). Traditional fishery-dependent communities in Brazil
claim that there is a correlation between seismic surveys and the number of fish
and marine mammals near offshore drilling bases. According to the fishermen, the
number of fish they catch during O&G seismic surveys is smaller than when there
is no survey being carried out. They also claim they see fewer dolphins swimming
near the shore in O&G seismic survey periods (Resnick & Wolff, 2001).
Di Iorio and Clark (2010) argue that another factor that could upset the ocean
ecosystem and may impact societies relates to major and minor oil spills and drilling
fluid discharge. Such discharges may lead to the destruction of the ecosystems, land
and water contamination, decline and long-lasting damage of fish, marine mammals
and migratory birds (Neff, Rabalais, & Boesch, 1987; O’Rourke & Connolly, 2003).
Again, the destruction of whole ecosystems impacts local communities’ lifecycles
and cultural dynamics (O’Rourke & Connolly, 2003, p. 594).
O&G onshore and offshore activities considerably impact host communities.
However, there are other negative impacts created by O&G companies that are poorly
17
According to Redford (2006), Total and Unocal were formally informed by their
consultants about the brutal and inhumane way the Burmese military treated villagers
and the forced labour they were subjected to by the Burmese military. The company
had “clear knowledge of [the] abuse” that took place (Redford, 2006, p. 131). Unocal
was involved in a lawsuit issued by 11 Burmese villagers and subsequently invested
in compensatory social investments to increase the local populations’ health and
education. According to a local villager, quoted by Redford (2006) “[…] if there was
no pipeline, there would be no foreigners. If there were no foreigner, there would be
no soldiers, so we could have our own… life as we had it before” (Redford, 2006,
p. 132).
The conclusion of the Upstream and Midstream activities in a region may also
cause negative impacts. Activities such as O&G prospecting and pipeline route
construction are temporary and require high numbers of workers. When the operation
ceases, the workforce is generally transferred to other projects in different locales. As
a result, the demand for products and local services decreases and the new businesses
created to attend the elevated demands may struggle to survive (Ackah-Baidoo,
2012). Once the project reaches an end, workers tend to fly back to their homeland
or to the next operational locale, which means new families may be deserted. I have
witnessed such occurrences following the conclusion of Upstream projects in the
Amazon region.
O&G activities also promote indirect impacts. For instance, offshore seismic and
drilling activities impact the natural environment where communities reside (Ross,
2001). Empirical studies (Egyir, 2012; Joyce & MacFarlane, 2001; Norlen, 2005)
indicate that O&G seismic surveys temporarily interfere with marine mammals’
natural functions, such as navigation. Norlen (2005), Stone and Tasker (2006) and
Thomson (1995) postulate that O&G seismic activities might hinder some whales’
ability to detect socially relevant signals, impairing biologically important processes
in the case of the Blue Whale and the Western Gray Whale. Such harm could lead to
the disappearance of such species, interfering in the balance of the oceans’ ecosystem.
An unbalanced oceanic ecosystem thus impacts fishery-dependent communities
(O’Rourke & Connolly, 2003). Traditional fishery-dependent communities in Brazil
claim that there is a correlation between seismic surveys and the number of fish
and marine mammals near offshore drilling bases. According to the fishermen, the
number of fish they catch during O&G seismic surveys is smaller than when there
is no survey being carried out. They also claim they see fewer dolphins swimming
near the shore in O&G seismic survey periods (Resnick & Wolff, 2001).
Di Iorio and Clark (2010) argue that another factor that could upset the ocean
ecosystem and may impact societies relates to major and minor oil spills and drilling
fluid discharge. Such discharges may lead to the destruction of the ecosystems, land
and water contamination, decline and long-lasting damage of fish, marine mammals
and migratory birds (Neff, Rabalais, & Boesch, 1987; O’Rourke & Connolly, 2003).
Again, the destruction of whole ecosystems impacts local communities’ lifecycles
and cultural dynamics (O’Rourke & Connolly, 2003, p. 594).
O&G onshore and offshore activities considerably impact host communities.
However, there are other negative impacts created by O&G companies that are poorly