12 Kosmos values the natural areas where it does business, both land and sea, and strives to prevent or minimize potential adverse impacts on the environment. Our Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) management system, The Standard, was reviewed and refreshed in 2016, a process we now conduct on an annual basis. The Standard sets clear expectations and performance measures that we use to plan and monitor our corporate, country, and project-level activities. The Standard is available on our website. After license acquisition, the first stage of the upstream oil and gas project lifecycle is the acquisition of seismic data. In 2016, Kosmos completed or began seismic surveys offshore Mauritania, Senegal, and Suriname. Our geologists and geophysicists use the geophysical data acquired in these surveys to create detailed images of the earth’s physical characteristics which then enable us to make more informed decisions about the location and size of potential oil and gas deposits. Prior to seismic acquisition or drilling operations, Kosmos completes environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA) as standard practice. The process used satisfies International Finance Corporation (IFC) guidelines, as well as those reflected in the Equator Principles. The key process elements of an ESIA generally consist of the following: •  Initial screening of the project and scoping of the assessment process •  Examination of alternatives • Stakeholder identification (focusing on those directly affected) and gathering of environmental and social baseline date •  Impact identification, prediction, and analysis •  Generation of mitigation or management measures and actions •  Significance of impacts and evaluation of residual impacts •  Documentation of the assessment process Kosmos’ ESIAs may also include records of public consultation and supporting technical documentation. Conducted offshore, our seismic acquisition activities also provide unique insight into the presence of marine life, including marine mammals, sea turtles, and sea birds. Where possible, we share this data with scientists and local marine research institutes. Since 2013, we have contributed data for papers on Clymene dolphins in the Eastern Tropical Atlantic, whale and dolphin occurrence offshore Ireland, and sea turtle populations offshore Morocco. Kosmos also supports a marine biodiversity initiative in Mauritania, the Biodiversity Oil and Gas Program, to improve understanding and protection of the ecosystems offshore Mauritania. This ambitious research project is being carried out by the Mauritanian Institute for Oceanographic and Fisheries Research in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research based in the Netherlands. More information about this program is available on page 33. We plan for an effective and timely response to emergencies that could impact personnel, the environment, local communities, or our assets. In 2016, we continued our regular program of conducting several crisis simulation drills with internal and external stakeholders to help us improve our ability to respond in the unlikely event of an KOSMOS AND THE ENVIRONMENT 4 A seismic vessel collects data offshore Suriname. BUSINESS PRINCIPLE