In 2008, three organizations came together to hold a workshop on the physical effects of climate change for the oil and gas industry. The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP), the Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology, and the World Climate Research Programme joined forces at the World Meteorological Headquarters in Geneva.
Given that climate science has progressed and that the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is expected to be released by 2022, the IOGP Metocean Committee saw value in meeting again with invited speakers working in the field to understand what has changed in the understanding of the physical risks of climate change. One of the goals of this meeting was to assist with planning for adaptation to potential changes. This second joint workshop was held 25–27 September 2018.
The objectives of the workshop were
- To raise awareness and disseminate knowledge related to risks, methodologies, and approaches that help the industry adapt to climate change
- To improve confidence in the use of climate data by identifying its limitations and developing improved methodologies that reduce and quantify uncertainty
- To understand the potential risk picture that climate changes pose for all aspects of the industry
The workshop comprised invited speakers from academia and research organizations and an invited audience of IOGP member representatives, service providers, and research organizations working in the field of climate science. In addition to presentations, breakout sessions were held to discuss key questions of interest to IOGP members to foster information exchange between climate specialists and end users.
The “Our Future Climate” report provides a summary of the themes discussed at the workshop.