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A GLOBAL OUTLOOK ON METHANE GAS HYDRATES
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widely distributed in marine settings, where 99 per cent of
the global inventory of hydrates is located, with the remain-
ing 1 per cent being in the permafrost (Sloan and Koh 2008).
Supporters of development point out that gas hydrates could
provide a reliable, secure energy source for many countries
without substantial conventional domestic energy resources.
If increased natural gas consumption were to displace the use
of other fossil fuels with higher greenhouse gas emissions,
gas hydrates could be a transition fuel towards a more climate-
friendly future. However, many policy challenges would have
to be overcome. Efficient as it is, natural gas is still a fossil fuel
that emits greenhouse gases. The time required for technology
development and verification is expected to be several decades.
Finally, substantial infrastructure investment would be re-
quired to realize significant worldwide gas hydrate production.
Photo: Yannick Beaudoin, GRID-Arendal
A number of internationally recognized tools are available to
assess and monitor potential environmental issues related to
resource extraction. These tools could be applied to production
from gas hydrates – possibly with some modification.
Currently available tools include the following:
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
– The International
Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines an
Environmental Impact Assessment as “the process of identifying,
predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and
other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major
decisions being taken and commitments made” (IAIA 1996).
An EIA also involves an evaluation of the existing environment
before development occurs.
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
– The strategic
environmental assessment is a relatively new tool designed
to encourage dialogue among stakeholders at all levels. It
aims to ensure that the policies and national plans related to
resource extraction take other users of land, sea, air, water, and
other shared environmental assets into account. An SEA is
designed to be a transparent process involving all stakeholders
– governmental, civil society, and private sector (DEAT 2007).
Box 4.1
Natural Systems and Environmental Assessment Tools
Ecosystem Approach to Management (EAM)
– There
is increasing recognition of the importance of an ecosystem
approach to management (e.g., UNEP 2011). The 1992
United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines
the ecosystem approach as: “Ecosystem and natural habitats
management … to meet human requirements to use natural
resources, whilst maintaining the biological richness and
ecological processes necessary to sustain the composition,
structure and function of the habitats or ecosystems
concerned” (CBD 1992). The approach requires integration of
information from a wide range of disciplines, across different
levels of ecological and socio-economic organization, and on a
range of temporal and spatial scales (CBD 2012).
Marine Spatial Planning (MSP)
– This approach is designed
to manage multiple uses of marine areas. MSP maps which
activities can be undertaken where, manages conflicts between
competing marine activities, and reduces environmental
impacts by analyzing current and anticipated uses of the ocean.
It is a practical way to balance demands for development
with conservation goals. The principal output of MSP is a
comprehensive spatial management plan for a marine area or
ecosystem (Ehler and Douvere 2009).