Ospar 98/3: An Environmental Turning Point or a Flawed Decision?

While the problems of over-fishing and eutrophication continue largely unchecked, the Ospar Commission, which exists to improve the quality of European seas, requires governments, the public and the oil companies to find £20 billion to remove millions of tons of steel to demonstrate its commitment to the mantra that ‘the seas are not dustbins’. The decision, taken in 1998, was made despite a paucity of evidence to identify the environmental impact redundant rigs create, despite the absence of scientific support to demonstrate that removal is the best practicable environmental option and in the knowledge that the decision had more to do with a green anti-oil agenda than with improving marine quality. It may be shown in the fullness of time not to be in the best interests of the environment. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, the manner in which the decision was made is lacking in important respects.