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Environmental Record

Statoil and Shell were planning on buliding a gas-fire powerplant in Norway that would infuse CO2 underground or beneath the seabed, but they discarded the plan due to economic reasons.

Environmental Record

Petrochina had a huge chemical spill in November, 2005. One of its chemical plants exploded in Jilin, China. The blast poured 100 tons of carcinogen benzene into the Songhua River, which is highly toxic. There was a slick of chemicals that spanned 80km. Harbin, which is another city along the Songhua River, had to cut the water supply from almost 4 million people, for 5 days. More than 60 people have been injured, one person is missing, and five have died, due to this incident. The spill prompted China’s environmental agency to fine the company 125,000 dollars. That is the maximum fine that can be handed out in China for breaking an environmental law. However, this disaster has now sparked controversy about this law. People are claiming it is too soft. The spill even crept into Kharbosvk, Russia, where residents stocked up on bottled water. The city tried filtering its water of toxic substances, but officials were still unsure if the water was 100% safe for drinking. The Chinese government has said it will take more than one billion dollars to clean up the aftermath.

Environmental Record

Suncor Energy has been digging up the oil sands in Alberta, Canada. Alberta has the second largest oil reserve, in the world, after Saudi Arabia. However, acquiring oil from oil sands requires a lot of energy. It takes 600 million cubic feet of natural gas just to create the oil sands, which is enough to keep 3 million Canadians warm. Getting oil from oil sands causes three times more pollution per barrel, compared to capturing oil traditionally. The University of Ottawa did some research and found that if Suncor Energy had to pay for the pollution they were causing in Alberta, their profits would decrease by 27% per barrel. In 2003, Alberta was the most polluted area of Canada, and Suncor Energy was the 2nd largest polluter in Alberta. The oil capturing is also causing water shortage concerns because of the amount of water being used to acquire the oil. To make the oil sands, the forests are being leveled, which has a big effect on the ecosystem. Alberta’s tar sand mines are also in the United Nations’ Environment Program list of the 100 most environmentally harmful areas. According to pollution watch fact sheet, in 2004, Suncor Energy had the fourth most greenhouse gas emitting facility in Canada, and it was the 7th most greenhouse gas emitting company in Canada.

Environmental Record

Japan Tobacco had recent health issues involving their company. Contaminated dumplings made by the company poisoned ten people, including a five year old girl who has now recovered. Thousands of other Japanese people were going to the hospital because of stomach issues as well. The dumplings are called gyoza. They are small snacks made from pork. A number of them were found containing dichlorvos and methamidophos from pesticide. The health minister of Japan has said the contamination was possibly purposeful, and the police are investigating attempted homicide. The dumplings were made in China, but Japan Tobacco has said it does not plan on stopping its manufacturing in China. Frozen food sales went down by 60% for the business since this health scare. Japan Tobacco’s stock price fell 7.1% after they were forced to recall their products, and the company also lost a $500 million merger deal with Nissin Food Products Co because of this occurrence.

Environmental Record

Statoil had three recent oil spills in the arctic waters near Norway. All the spills occurred from its ocean rig called the Erik Raude. The company was searching for oil in the region, which environmentalists were against because they wanted the sensitive area free from pollution. However, the Norwegian government allowed oil exploration, as long as there were no emissions. In December 2007, 25,000 barrels of oil leaked into the North Sea. This was Statoil’s 2nd worst oil spill. Two leaks also occurred in February, 2008. In March, Statoil dropped about 1.6 tons of pure hydraulic oil in the Barents Sea. Hydraulic oil is said to be the 2nd most hazardous pollutant. Since the leaks, Statoil has stated that the oil has mostly dissolved, and there is not much proof of ecological harm. The Norwegian government has not stopped the oil drilling in the artic waters, and Statoil started up its oil operations in April. Bellona, a Norwegian environmental group, is looking to take legal action. They want the end of oil drilling in the Barents Sea.

Environmental Record

Airbus has joined Honeywell and JetBlue Airways in an effort to reduce pollution and dependence on oil. They are trying to develop a biofuel that could be used by 2030. The companies think it they could almost cover one third of the world’s airplane fuel need. A plan to create a biofuel that won’t affect food resources is the proposal. Algae is a possible alternative because it absorbs carbon dioxide, and it will not effect food production. However, algae and other vegetation are still just experiments, and algae is expensive to develop. Airbus recently had the first biofuel flight. It ran on 60 percent kerosene and 40 percent biofuel. It did not cut carbon emissions, but it was free of sulphur emissions. Biofuel was able to work properly in Airbus's airplane engine, so the use of biofuels should not cause a need for new airplane engines. This flight and the company's longterm efforts are considered big strides towards environmentally friendly airplanes.

Environmental Record

Nissan is planning to sale electric cars in California by 2010. The company has an EV model out that has a maximum speed of 75 mph and can go 100 miles per charge. It takes eight hours to fully charge the car. Nissan's car uses a lithium ion battery. The vehicle is intended for short distances, and is not meant for replacing traditional cars. 2012 is when Nissan is preparing to mass produce electric cars in cities all over the world. This car company will be the first to bring a carbon free automobile to America. Electric cars from Nissan won't omit pollution from their exhaust, but they still can cause pollution indirectly through the electricity production needed to charge the car. Nissan prefers developing 100 percent electric cars rather than biofuel or ethanol running cars. This is because it's more expensive to produce biofuel and ethanol than normal gasoline.

Environmental Record

Tata, along with a Tanzanian company, joined forces to build a soda ash extraction plant in Tanzania. The Tanzanian government is all for the project. On the other hand, environmental activists are opposing the plant because it would be near Lake Natron, and it could possibly affect the lake's ecosystem and its neighboring dwellers. Tata was planning to change the site of the plant so it would be built 32km from the lake, but the opposition still thinks it would negatively disturb the environment. It could also jeopardize the Lesser Flamingo birds there, which are already endangered. Lake Natron is where two thirds of Lesser Flamingos reproduce. Producing soda ash involves drawing out salt water from the lake, and then disposing the water back to the lake. This process could interrupt the chemical make up of the lake. Twenty-two African nations are against the creation of the project and have signed a petition to stop its construction.