Oil (hydrocarbons)

UNEP GPA on oil

1. Why the marine environment needs protection from oils

Many oils are liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons of geological origin. While some oils are naturally occurring, a significant proportion of those in the marine and coastal environment have been derived from anthropogenic sources. Most oils from land-based sources are refined petroleum products or their derivatives. Some oils are volatile or easily degraded and disappear rapidly from aquatic systems, but some may persist in the water column or in sediments. Oils may be toxic to aquatic life when ingested or absorbed through skin or gills, interfere with respiratory systems, foul fur and feathers, smother aquatic communities, habitats and bathing beaches, taint seafood and contaminate water supplies.

Land-based sources of oils include operational and accidental discharges and emissions from oil exploration, exploitation, refining and storage facilities; urban, industrial and agricultural run-off; transport; and the inappropriate disposal of used lubricating oils. The main pathways to the marine environment include atmospheric dispersion of volatile fractions; storm sewers and sewage treatment works; and rivers. Impacts from land-derived oils will be regional for the more volatile fractions, and local (occasionally regional) for more refractory components.

2. What is the objective of the GPA in relation to oils ?

The objective is to prevent, reduce and/or eliminate anthropogenic emissions and discharges in order to prevent, reduce and eliminate pollution caused by oil.

3. Which actions does the GPA suggest ?

National actions, policies and measures

Actions, policies and measures of States within their national capacities should include:

(a) Development, compilation and maintenance of inventories of significant sources of oils, and subsequent assessment and establishment of areas (geographic or substance) for action. They should also, where appropriate, take into account inputs from long-range transport of these pollutants;

(b) Development of comprehensive national programmes of action for the reduction and/or elimination of priority emissions and discharges from anthropogenic sources could include:

Targets, timetables, and sector-specific measures respecting the precautionary principle and applying best available techniques (BAT), best environmental practice (BEP), and integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC);
Fiscal and economic incentives and measures, including voluntary agreements, to encourage reductions in emissions and discharges of oils, to encourage the recycling of used lubricating oils, and to encourage fuel-use efficiencies;
The provision of reception and recycling facilities for oily wastes;
Development of plans and measures to prevent accidental releases of oils, particularly from coastal refineries, storage facilities and waste reception facilities and of capacities to respond to such accidents;
Establishment of cleaner production programmes in cooperation with industry;
Means to ensure the effective implementation of the programme of action;
(c) Establishment of environmental monitoring programmes for oil, including the development of assessment criteria and the adoption of internationally accepted quality control and quality assurance procedures;

(d) Formulation and implementation of awareness and education campaigns for the public and industry to gain general recognition of the need and ways to reduce emissions and discharges of oil, and, in particular, to further reduce diffuse inputs through waste systems, including sewerage systems;

(e) Establishment of information services for industry on technology and ways and means to prevent, reduce and eliminate pollution by oil, including best environmental practice (BEP), best available techniques (BAT), and integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC);

(f) Promotion of private initiatives for the establishment and implementation of systems of internal environmental management within industry.

Regional actions

States within a region should cooperate in the following action:

(a) Encouraging existing regional agreements and programmes of action on the prevention and elimination of pollution of the marine and coastal environment from land-based activities, to develop or continue to develop and implement programmes and measures to reduce and/or eliminate emissions and discharges of oils from the appropriate industrial sectors, products and groups of products;

(b) Adoption of programmes and measures on the development of harmonized assessment criteria and monitoring programmes based on regionally or internationally agreed quality control and quality assurance procedures;

(c) Encouraging States, including land-locked States, that are not already parties to regional seas arrangements regarding the protection of the marine and coastal environment from land-based activities, to join such cooperation and to cooperate on bilateral and multilateral basis in the control of pollution from oil;

(d) Promoting cooperation on the development of cleaner- production programmes, best available techniques, and best environmental practice;

(e) Development of regional plans and measures to prevent accidental releases of oils, and development of regional capacities to respond to such accidents;

(f) Where appropriate, the provision of regional reception and recycling facilities for oily wastes.

International actions

International actions should include:

(a) Strengthening and extending existing international quality assurance, standardization and classification mechanisms for oil, oil products and their constituents to ensure that inventories and assessments are both reliable and intercomparable. Such existing mechanisms include those co-sponsored by IOC, UNEP, and IAEA under the GIPME programme, and the associated activities of the Marine Environmental Studies Laboratory in Monaco;

(b) Participation in a clearing-house for information on best available techniques (BAT), best environmental practice (BEP), and integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC) to reduce and/or eliminate emissions and discharges of oil;

(c) Cooperation with countries in need of assistance through financial, technical, and scientific support, to maximize the best practicable control and reduction in emissions and discharges of oil.