In July 2019, when the current AAPG Executive Committee took office, they inherited one piece of outstanding business: review the AAPG Climate Statement that had been approved by the previous EC, But also tabled for approval by the incoming EC. Over the last seven months, and long before the two black swan events that are wreaking havoc on the independent oil and gas industry and the AAPG, the EC engaged many of the Association's stakeholders, including the divisions, the Advisory Council, the Corporate Advisory Board and, by way of a survey, our members. With their feedback and comments the EC decided that:
- AAPG should have a statement on climate change, and
- That statement needs to reflect the Association's mission and the values of our members - a considerable challenge given the highly political nature of the climate change debate.
Thus, the EC believes this statement, approved unanimously by the current EC, not only accomplishes those two objectives, but most closely reflects the considerable feedback the EC has received from AAPG members and leadership over the past year.
The American Association of Petroleum Geologists [controlled mostly by geologists of the independent oil and gas producers in the world] has a long history as a proactive organization focused on advancing the science of geology, especially as it relates to petroleum, natural gas, other subsurface fluids and mineral resources. [It is becasue of the skills of these American geologists and geophysicists that the U.S. no longer needs to import oil and gas].
AAPG continues to promote and encourage its members to employ their surface and subsurface geologic skills and knowledge to exploring for, finding and producing these materials in an efficient, economic and environmentally sustainable manner while minimizing their impact on the world's climate. AAPG believes in the principles of conservation, efficiency and sustainability regarding the use of all energy resources. In support of these objectives, the Energy Mineral Division was created in 1977 as an international forum for monitoring the exploration, development and use of competing energy sources other than conventional oil and gas, i.e., such as unconventional oil and gas (gas shales, shale oil, etc., and alternative energy, i.e., coal, geothermal energy, and uranium, and recently critical minerals., as well as natural resources off-world (astrogeology).
The Division of Environmental Geoscience was formed in 1992 to promote environmental stewardship within the industry and to support and encourage research into the effects of petroleum\energy minerals exploration and production on the environment. The DEG position of 2011 (here).
AAPG members share the concerns of the public, non-governmental organizations and governments about environmental issues, including climate change and energy sustainability. As earth scientists, AAPG members have a unique perspective and understanding of climate change throughout the geologic history of Earth and how climate has varied through time [they also know that burning hydrocarbons is contributing to changes in our climate, most notably via sea-level rising....hence the resulting catch-22 condition that exists in society today].
The current world population of 7.8 billion people puts an enormous strain on the Earth's resources that requires, in addition to hydrocarbon resources, the economic development of alternative and renewable energy sources. The AAPG encourages its members, through their own research, to continue to develop their own understanding of climate science and policies that are outside the core competencies of the organization and to work on improving the human condition while reducing energy's environmental impacts.
The AAPG accepts the immense challenges of the energy transition and will continue to support the important role that AAPG geoscientists play in improving the human condition, while minimizing environmental impacts of all forms of energy....read the rest of the article in the link above. [Also note that the AAPG links cited above are notoriously slow, so wait for AAPG to download the requested web pages].
[The AIPG (The American Institute of Professional Geologists) also conducted a survey of their membership last year and found similar results to that of the AAPG survey. This might be expected becasue most professional geologists are employed by oil and gas companies.
In response to an Editorial in the AAPG Explorer in 2019, Mr. Campbell submitted a formal complaint to the AAPG management (more).]
[And consider the references in the following: http://i2mportal.com/category.php?id=195#page=1]
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