By Chloé Prendleloup, Ecological Security Fellow
Executive Summary
As the world understandably focuses on accelerating the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, potentially negative externalities of this shift can be overlooked. This briefer outlines key ecological security risks linked to transitioning into renewables and out of fossil fuels. The objective is twofold. First, to understand the impact of the energy transition on the ecological integrity of critical mineral mining areas and aging oil and gas fields, and to understand the possible risks, including loss of livelihoods and potential displacement for local communities, rising tensions between regional actors, and increasingly conflictual relations between governments, companies, and civil society. Second, to provide recommendations on how the energy transition might be pursued in as ecologically sensitive a way as possible.
Primary observations:
- There are important potential socio-ecological security risks related to the energy transition. Only by combining environmental and social perspectives can a comprehensive analysis of potential cascading risks emerge.
- It can be challenging for the general public to access information regarding the exact location of unused or decommissioned oil and gas infrastructure and mining sites, as well as data on health and environmental impact near these sites.
- Decommissioning is often overlooked compared to other phases of an oil and gas lifecycle, including in legislation. This has led to ambiguous legal frameworks, confusing liability fault, and disputes delaying clean-up or decommissioning efforts.
Primary recommendations:
- As more countries work to fill the legislative gaps on decommissioning to avoid liability fault, lessons learned should be shared with countries whose fields will increasingly require decommissioning. This is also important for critical mineral-rich countries to help them think about the future of mining projects.
- More local capability-building integrating socio-ecological impacts of the energy transition is needed.
- Increased transparency on aging oil and gas infrastructure and mining sites and access to health and environmental impact data are required to monitor risks, facilitate action in case of an emerging incident, and promote informed discussions between government, industries, and civil society.