Environmental management practices of the oil and gas companies in Lebanon

Abstract

There is no doubt that the oil and gas sector plays a dominant role in today’s global market; nevertheless, the activities that are related to oil exploration, production, processing and distribution causes alterations to and adverse impacts on the environment. Rationally, adopting efficient and effective environmental management practices is highly commended and important when activities have high possibility of adverse environmental impacts. Unfortunately, it is not always the practice. In light of the potential commencing of petroleum production in Lebanon, this study attempted to investigate the environmental performance and management practices of the existing national and international oil companies operating (primarily storage and distribution) in the country. This research is timely and constituted a first attempt at a systematic identification and evaluation of the environmental practices of the oil and gas companies in Lebanon which is expected to provide baseline information needed for future regulatory and developmental national projects. Accordingly, a survey questionnaire was developed and administered to evaluate the environmental management practices of oil and gas distributing companies as well as to assess the incentives, barriers and limitations for implementing an Environmental Management System. Survey results were processed and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and relationships between variables were examined. Moreover in-depth interviews were conducted with key stakeholders to explore the potential concerns regarding the environmental performance and prospects of the oil and gas sector in Lebanon. Thematic analysis was employed to thoroughly examine and evaluate the transcripts comprehensively, following the set objectives of the research. Findings revealed that Lebanon is experiencing regulatory failure in environmental governance of the oil and gas sector. Effective environmental regulations are completely lacking due to limited capacity of pu