Nowadays, it often seems that we are being bombarded with information, and bombard others in our turn; but are we all actually communicating? Despite a plethora of facts, figures and opinion, it sometimes appears that we actually understand less, not more, as we pick and choose what we want to learn and where and who from.
Where does this avalanche of data leave us as an industry? What are we doing to address the communication conundrum? Are we our own worst enemies when it comes to communicating the complex science and technologies that drive our industry?
The important questions of what, why, when and how we convey key geoscientific information about the oil and gas industry to the general public have finally begun to be discussed. Following hard on the heels of the forum on communication in which I participated at the AAPG annual conference in Houston in April, the Geological Society of London will hold a one-day conference entitled ‘Communicating Contested Geoscience: New Strategies for Public Engagement’ on 20th June, 2014. As they point out, alongside the complex scientific and technical challenges which need to be explained, an additional concern is that, to most people, the geological subsurface is an unknown realm.
Take a quick glance through the newspapers; watch science and current affairs programmes on the television; observe what is taught in our schools; or just have a conversation with friends over dinner. It soon becomes apparent that the majority of people do not understand much about the science of finding and producing the petrol driving their cars, or the complexity of the chain of events which brings them the gas and electricity powering their home. And much of the information which is generally available tends to be negative, frequently disseminated through channels lobbying for a reduction in the use of fossil fuels and other environmental matters.
Education Needed
What should we be communicating about geoscience in the hydrocarbon industry?
As we have seen, the complexity of the process of exploring for and producing oil and gas is not generally understood, which in turn means that people not concerned directly in the process have very little idea of just how much time, effort and finance is required before oil or gas can come pumping down a pipeline. There is a need for more general education on everything pertaining to the industry – not just how hydrocarbons are formed (that is one thing which is probably moderately well understood) but on the science behind how we search for and produce them, from simple explanations of basic geophysical techniques to the different methods of enhancing recovery.
The potentially substantial rewards accessible to companies exploring for oil are well publicised, but the commercial, environmental and personal risks involved need to be better explained and understood. A time of major crisis, such as an oil spill or similar environmental disaster, is not the moment to start explaining the benefits of oil to the wider community; education in all aspects of the industry needs to be undertaken more widely and continually and through a broad range of media.
One of the main challenges we face as an industry is lack of credibility, as demonstrated by a recent report into the issues surrounding shale gas exploitation in Germany, when the people commissioning the study allegedly refused to involve anyone actually working in the industry because ‘they could not be trusted’. That is a terrible indictment of our industry as a whole, and one which we need to address urgently. We are seen as secretive, money-grabbing, environmentally ‘dirty’ and possibly often running close to the wrong side of the law and it is up to us to gradually change these perceptions through education and openness.
Facing the Issues
We tend to skirt around the difficult issues – after all, we’re scientists, not philosophers, politicians or economists. We deal in facts, not vague theories. But we cannot and should not hide behind that idea. The industry is considered secretive, maybe with good reason; if we want a wider engagement with society it is up to us to be more open, and to endeavour to show that we are. We always seem to be on the defensive in any debate, rarely bringing the discussion forward ourselves. Should we perhaps be leading the debate? Encourage a review of the comparative environmental impacts of fracking for shale gas in Europe as opposed to exploiting the Arctic, for example? Advocate independent analyses of the full carbon footprint of biofuels, shale oil and electric cars, among many others? Publicise more widely the websites where the components of fracking fluids are listed – while understanding that so long as anything is withheld, for whatever reason, we feed the perception that this is a secretive industry?
Importantly, we need to admit that we don’t have all the answers, so we must become more open to working with people with a wide range of viewpoints, in order to see the ’bigger picture’. It is in all our interests to ensure that for the foreseeable future the cleanest, most environmentally-friendly energy sources are available to people throughout the world.
People are afraid of what they don’t know. As oil men and women it is surely up to us to inform and educate the world at large about what we know, so everyone can make their own intelligent judgements and decisions on the issues which are of the utmost concern to us all.
In the next Editor’s Patch I will look at the complex issue of how to communicate our science effectively.
Jane Whaley
Editor-in-Chief
Gloucestershire, UK
May 2014
