Decommissioning the Brent Spar (Paperback)

The Brent Spar saga has become an environmental icon of the late 1990s and its recent conclusion will have repercussions into the 21st century. Like the Newbury Bypass and the Exxon Valsez, this is one environmental issue with real resonance for the public. This text chronicles the events leading up to the recent decision to recycle the offshore installation in a Norwegian fjord; the Greenpeace campaign to stop it being dumped at sea; the repercussions of Shell's decision to abort the decommissioning at the eleventh hour and the dialogue processes that have occurred to attempt to resolve the issue. It aims to give a balanced, impartial account of the situation. Its key aim being to inform the reader about the facts and mechanisms of the dialogue process and the need to approach decisions in a different way. Readers should benefit from an account of the mistakes made by both sides, the input from government, the scientific community, the press and public, and they can apply this knowledge to future environmental issues.