International environmental conference in Saint Petersburg with Corrado Clini

Corrado Clini took part in the “New technologies of oil & gas offshore production for marine environment protection in the Baltic Sea” conference organized by the Saint Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry held today in Saint Petersburg.

At the conference, representatives of the Russian authorities, the UNDP Agency, the LUKOIL and President of the Environmental Committee of the European Parliament La Via, and Russian academics were also present.

During his speech, Corrado Clini recognized the value of the LUKOIL “Zero Discharge – Clean Sea” project. In fact, it represents a significant step forward in the development and “dissemination” of innovative technologies not only in the context of mining activities in the Baltic Sea but also in the other sensitive areas of the Artic Ocean, the Caspian Sea, and the Mediterranean one.

Corrado Clini particularly highlighted the importance of preventive measures for the protection of marine biodiversity from pollution deriving from mining activities. He also recalled the objectives of the Helcom Convention for the Baltic Sea that drastically limits the use of chemicals for oil and gas extractions. Also, the need to ensure the least possible impact over the seabed about seismic prospecting – which can have broad effects on the marine flora and fauna – was also underlined.

Moreover, Clini drew attention over the pollution caused by the so-called “birdstrikes” mostly due to the lighting on the drilling platforms concerning migratory birds.

Finally, Clini called upon the pollution derived from the so-called “gas flared,” meaning the gas associated with oil extraction that burns in the atmosphere.

Clini urged for greater commitment in the recuperation of gas, especially considering that according to the data released by the ““Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership” of the World Bank, in 2015 Russia burned 21 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
Gas flared, on the one hand, produces “black carbon” – a dark dust that deposits on glaciers speeding up their melting – while also being a significant greenhouse effect.