Den menneskeskapte iskanten – Om vitenskapelig sannhetssøken og uavhengighet i en kunnskapsbasert forvaltning

In this chapter we explore how the geographical position of the marginal ice zone in the Barents Sea became the center of a hot political debate. In 2015, new data sets on the retreat of sea ice were introduced by the Norwegian government, indicating how petroleum drilling could take place without conflicting with the vulnerable ice ecosystem. In the public debate that followed, four different definitions of the ice edge zone were introduced, each providing different geographical positions of the ice edge. These multiple definitions directly corresponded to various political views on the exploration of petroleum in the Barents Sea. The analysis shows how ethical principles connected to scientific rigor and independence may be put on trial when conflicts of interests escalate in policy debates. This chapter demonstrates the mismatch between ethical ideals and practice in knowledge-based management, and discusses what their democratic implications might be.