Introduction: the Brent Spar Background

Abstract

This book may seem to some to be a large undertaking over a minor oil industry decision about the disposal of a redundant facility, but the significance of the events described in this book is indicated by the following quotations – selected from a lengthy list of similar sentiments: Brent Spar will enter history as the symbol of our failure to establish our position and connect in a meaningful way with a wider audience (Heinz Rothermund,1 Managing Director, Shell Expro, Society of Petroleum Engineers Conference, 15 April 1997). When the definitive history of environmentalism is written in the next century, the moment when a group of activists took over a pensioned–off oil platform in the North Sea may well merit a chapter all to itself. The story of the Brent Spar, its occupation by Greenpeace, its re–taking by Shell, the eventual abandonment of plans to dump it deep in the Atlantic (to the fury of the Government and the disbelief of many scientists and pundits) has already entered contemporary lore … most people agree that, after the Brent Spar, nothing will quite be the same again. Ostensibly, Brent Spar was about the disposal of a huge amount of rubbish … But it was also a modern morality tale played out on our television screens and in the pages of our newspapers (Nicholson–Lord, 1997). We are going to change. We have learned that for certain decisions, your [public] agreement is just as important as the opinion of experts or the approval of the authorities … it is not enough for a decision to conform to laws and international rules … Acceptance by society is needed too (Shell Germany, apology to customers, 27 June 1995). … the act that has clearly symbolised the ability of these organisations to harness and direct larger global trends was Shell’s dramatic change of heart in 1995 over its plan to sink the Brent Spar … (Rawcliffe, 1998, p 5). KeywordsToxic WasteInternational Whaling CommissionSunday TimeEventual AbandonmentFilm FootageThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.