The different, often conflicting, perceptions of risks as well as societal values present challenges in the governance of environmental risks. The opening of new areas for offshore drilling in the Arctic is highly controversial. As the ice cover in the region is melting at an alarming rate, new areas have been opened for the petroleum industry in the Norwegian Barents Sea.
The decision of the Norwegian government to open new areas for maritime operations closer to the ice edge remains highly controversial as the oil spill risks of offshore operations are exacerbated due to, e.g., the possible presence of ice, harsh weather conditions, and the ineffectiveness of current response measures. Considering the contribution of fossil fuels to climate change, opening new areas for the petroleum industry impedes reaching the goals of the
“We suggest that social learning and collaborative knowledge production are needed to move towards developing a shared understanding of the problem situation and the solutions”, says
Considerable differences in how risks were defined and perceived by the participants were revealed by the study. The participants emphasised a wide range of environmental, economic and social risks, including both the long-term local and global consequences of offshore drilling operations, e.g., how offshore drilling contributes to climate change. In addition, the respondents identified different knowledge sources as important when assessing the risks, including, e.g., interdisciplinary research and traditional knowledge.
Therefore, questions – such as who should take part in identifying and evaluating risks; who are seen as relevant or as “experts” in assessing risks and who are not; what governance measures are considered important; and who should be involved in ensuring the legitimacy of the decisions – need to be explored as part of oil spill risk governance processes.
In their
“The current risk governance framework, including, e.g., the Barents Sea ecosystem-based management plan and the industry risk assessments, have largely focused on natural sciences and engineering studies, and risks are understood principally in terms of probabilities and consequences. We would suggest that assessing and evaluating risks and risk control options cannot be left to experts alone”, Parviainen states.
Original article:
Parviainen, T., Lehikoinen, A., Kuikka, S., Haapasaari, P. (2019)
Tuuli Parviainen is a PhD student in the University of Helsinki