Monday 19 October 2015

Environment Ministers from over 50 Muslim countries agree

Environment Ministers from over 50 Muslim countries agree on “Declaration for Environmental Protection”

The 6th Islamic conference of Envronment Ministers held in Rabat, Morocco on 8 - 9 October 2015 (the largest convening of Muslim-world Environment Ministers), facilitates agreement amongst Environment Ministers on a number of steps to tackle climate change and challenges facing sustainable development.

The conference was organised by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in conjunction with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) under the patronage of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The two day event ended with a joint declaration on environmental protection and sustainable development, calling on renewed political commitment from member states to actively pursue sustainable development goals, energy efficiency, and poverty eradication.

The declaration called on all 57 OIC member states to:
  • Pursue 'green economies' - where renewables and energy efficiency creates a new green wave of employment and income for societies.
  • Work together to build synergy on water sustainability, food security and energy efficiency.
  • Adopt a set of standards for sustainable governance good practices adapted to the socio-economic and cultural context of the OIC Member States
  • Raise awareness about the importance of eradicating poverty using education, training, and capacity building amongst nations to achieve this.
  • Work with industry and embrace technological innovations, renewables and energy efficiency mechanisms to create a 'new energry operating system'.
  • OIC secretary general Iyaad Ameen Madani, said: "climate change is a serious threat, especially to the developing world. It is only through collective action that we will overcome one of the pressing challenges of our generation."
Madani also emphasised that forums which bring together developing countries such as the OIC need to take a more holistic approach to environmental challenges: "sustainable development, having a diverse green economy, and eradicating poverty are at the heart of environmental well-being, and so it was very important that we achieved broad consensus on a wide array of issues ranging from water and food security to climate change".

The conference also adopted a series of documents including the Islamic agenda for sustainable development, water resources management, environmental sustainability, and the establishment of an Islamic environmental academy.

The conference recommendations also included the establishment of a joint OIC Commission for Sustainable Development (OIC-CSD), on the lines of the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development, with mandate to steer cooperation for promoting sustainable development among the Member States and promote the vision of the Islamic world within the UN and other regional and international forums and conferences.
Read more ...

Friday 16 October 2015

Lundin Petroleum spuds exploration well on the Rolvsnes prospect

Lundin Petroleum reported that its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS (Lundin Norway) has commenced drilling of exploration well 16/1-25 S on the Rolvsnes prospect in PL338C. The well is located approximately 6 km south of the Edvard Grieg field in the North Sea sector of the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

Well 16/1-25 S will explore the Rolvsnes area, located between the Edvard Grieg field and the Luno II discovery.  

The main objective of well 16/1-25 S is to test the hydrocarbon potential in thin Jurassic/Cretaceous sandstone reservoir overlying porous fractured basement. Lundin Petroleum estimates the Rolvsnes prospect to contain gross unrisked prospective resources of 107 million barrels of oil equivalents (MMboe).

The planned total depth is approximately 2,275 metres below mean sea level and the well will be drilled with the semi-submersible drilling unit Bredford Dolphin. The drilling operation is expected to take approximately 45 days.

Lundin Norway is the operator of PL338C with 50 percent working interest. The partners are Lime Petroleum Norway AS with 30 percent and OMV (Norge) AS with 20 percent working interest.
Read more ...