20
B.W. Flemming
compaction itself can be a major ecological disturbance factor, it also triggered morphodynamic adjustments which culminated in the formation of new drainage networks.
Arguments of cost-effectiveness (surely in itself a highly valued principle in economic
ethics) are often used to overrule environmental considerations. Ironically, in this particular case the principle was unwittingly turned upside down, i.e., it was neither costeffective nor environmentally compatible. By capitulating to the political pressure exerted by radical environmentalists, politics must accept a large share of the blame for
the escalation of costs associated with the construction of Europipe.
3.2.5
Moral Failure of Local Communities
By uncritically accepting the exaggerations and distortions voiced by the environmentalists, and being driven by their own home-made horror visions, local communities
fell victim to their self-generated fears and misjudgements. These included claims that
the construction of the pipeline would destroy their home and island, that the region
would lose its tourist image and that this, in turn, would result in economic decline,
loss of revenue, and increased unemployment. The impact of this misguided public
outcry contributed substantially to the political decision of abandoning the original
pipeline route (Option 1 in Fig. 3.1).
After construction commenced, it soon became apparant that none of these fears
was realistic. On the contrary, the construction actually had the opposite effect on every
count, even though the benefits were probably of short duration only. From an economic point of view Europipe certainly did not have any detrimental effects. This did
not deter individuals and local authorities from claiming disproportionately high and,
in some cases, even totally unjustified financial compensations.
3.2.6
Moral Failure of the Media
As usual, the role of the media was ambivalent. While at national level newspapers
mostly reported factually and impartially, the same cannot be said of the local press.
The latter produced a mix of factual and emotionalized reporting, mostly with an antiEuropipe slant. Rarely was there a balanced and rational presentation of both sides of
the coin, especially in the years leading up to the construction when public concern
and the environmental debate were still easily influenced. The polemic caricature in
Fig. 3.4 clearly alludes to the Statoil troll (see Fig. 3.2), and is a good example of how the
local press fuelled the anti -Europipe debate. In another example, a local author wrote a
book narrating a fictitious story about the construction of a pipeline and its detrimental effects on a coastal community (de Witt 1995). The allusion to Europipe is clear, even
to the point of adapting the troll to illustrate the book cover.
3.2.7
Moral Failure of Science
As in the case of the media, the position of the scientific community is often ambivalent
in environmental conflict situations. Biologists, in particular, appear to be emotionally
B.W. Flemming
compaction itself can be a major ecological disturbance factor, it also triggered morphodynamic adjustments which culminated in the formation of new drainage networks.
Arguments of cost-effectiveness (surely in itself a highly valued principle in economic
ethics) are often used to overrule environmental considerations. Ironically, in this particular case the principle was unwittingly turned upside down, i.e., it was neither costeffective nor environmentally compatible. By capitulating to the political pressure exerted by radical environmentalists, politics must accept a large share of the blame for
the escalation of costs associated with the construction of Europipe.
3.2.5
Moral Failure of Local Communities
By uncritically accepting the exaggerations and distortions voiced by the environmentalists, and being driven by their own home-made horror visions, local communities
fell victim to their self-generated fears and misjudgements. These included claims that
the construction of the pipeline would destroy their home and island, that the region
would lose its tourist image and that this, in turn, would result in economic decline,
loss of revenue, and increased unemployment. The impact of this misguided public
outcry contributed substantially to the political decision of abandoning the original
pipeline route (Option 1 in Fig. 3.1).
After construction commenced, it soon became apparant that none of these fears
was realistic. On the contrary, the construction actually had the opposite effect on every
count, even though the benefits were probably of short duration only. From an economic point of view Europipe certainly did not have any detrimental effects. This did
not deter individuals and local authorities from claiming disproportionately high and,
in some cases, even totally unjustified financial compensations.
3.2.6
Moral Failure of the Media
As usual, the role of the media was ambivalent. While at national level newspapers
mostly reported factually and impartially, the same cannot be said of the local press.
The latter produced a mix of factual and emotionalized reporting, mostly with an antiEuropipe slant. Rarely was there a balanced and rational presentation of both sides of
the coin, especially in the years leading up to the construction when public concern
and the environmental debate were still easily influenced. The polemic caricature in
Fig. 3.4 clearly alludes to the Statoil troll (see Fig. 3.2), and is a good example of how the
local press fuelled the anti -Europipe debate. In another example, a local author wrote a
book narrating a fictitious story about the construction of a pipeline and its detrimental effects on a coastal community (de Witt 1995). The allusion to Europipe is clear, even
to the point of adapting the troll to illustrate the book cover.
3.2.7
Moral Failure of Science
As in the case of the media, the position of the scientific community is often ambivalent
in environmental conflict situations. Biologists, in particular, appear to be emotionally