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ABSTRACT
Science-policy interactions can both facilitate and hamper professional normative judgement, i.e. a value judgement about the desirability of a certain situation. Anthropogenic land subsidence, contributing to relative sea-level rise in the economically important Western peatland areas in the Netherlands is a case in point. The implementation of mitigation, adaptation and compensation measures is lagging, partly due to science-policy interaction problems potentially leading to conflicts between stakeholders, including agrarians, climate scientists and inhabitants. We find that professional normative judgement is enhanced when researchers and societal stakeholders reflect more critically on their role and engage in more inclusive science-policy interactions.
Acknowledgements
Elaine Mak is thanked for constructive comments on the manuscript. The research presented in this paper is part of the project Living on soft soils: subsidence and society (grantnummer: NWA.1160.18.259). This project is funded by the Dutch Science Foundation (NWO-NWA-ORC), Utrecht University, Wageningen University, Delft University of Technology, Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management, Ministry of the Interior & Kingdom Relations, Deltares, Wageningen Environmental Research, TNO-Geological Survey of The Netherlands, STOWA, Water Authority: Hoogheemraadschap de Stichtse Rijnlanden, Water Authority: Drents Overijsselse Delta, Province of Utrecht, Province of Zuid-Holland, Municipality of Gouda, Platform Soft Soil, Sweco, Tauw BV, NAM.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
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3 S.O. Funtowicz & J.R. Ravetz, ‘Science for the post-normal age’ (1993) 25 Futures 7, 739.
4 Bulkeley (n 2).
5 J.P. van der Sluijs, ‘Uncertainty and dissent in climate risk assessment: A post-normal perspective’ (2012) 7 Nature and Culture 2, 174.
6 S. Dovers, ‘How much adaptation: Are existing policies and institutions enough?’ [2013] Climate Adaptation Futures, 95.
7 Rittel & Webber’s (n 2).
8 W.I. van Enst, P.P.J. Driessen & H.A.C. Runhaar, ‘Towards productive science-policy interfaces: A research agenda’ (2014) 16 Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management 1, 1450007; S. van den Hove, ‘A rationale for science-policy interfaces’ (2007) 39 Futures 7, 807; D. Hegger, M. Alexander, T. Raadgever, S. Priest & S. Bruzzone ‘Shaping flood risk governance through science-policy interfaces: Insights from England, France and the Netherlands’ [2020] Environmental Science and Policy 106, 157.
9 Van den Hove (n 8) 807.
10 Rittel & Webber’s (n 2).
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12 E.g. nature-based solutions, see L. Xie & H. Bulkeley, ‘Nature-based solutions for urban biodiversity governance’ [2020] Environmental Science and Policy 110, 77.
13 D.H. Guston, ‘Boundary Organizations in Environmental Policy and Science: An Introduction’ (2001) 26 Science, Technology, & Human Values 4, 399.
14 E.g. D. Hegger, M. Lamers, A. van Zeijl-Rozema & C. Dieperink, ‘Conceptualising joint knowledge production in regional climate change adaptation projects: success conditions and levers for action’ [2012] Environmental Science and Policy 18, 52.
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16 E.g. Driessen & Van Rijswick (n 1).
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19 Hegger et al. (n 8).
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22 Den Uyl & Wassen (n 20).
23 H. Joosten & D. Clarke, Wise Use of Mires and Peatlands – Background and Principles Including a Framework for Decision-making (Greifswald and Jyva¨skyla¨: International Mire Conservation Group and International Peat Society 2002).
24 Den Uyl & Wassen (n 20).
25 See also Stouthamer et al. (n 21); G.J. van den Born, F. Kragt, D. Henkens, B. Rijken, B. van Bemmel & S. van der Sluis, Dalende bodems, Stijgende kosten (Report The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), report nr. 1064, 2016).
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28 PBL The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Dalende bodems, stijgende kosten (2016).
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31 Den Uyl & Wassen (n 20).
32 M.A. van den Ende, D.L.T. Hegger, H.L.P. Mees, & P.P.J. Driessen, ‘Wicked problems and creeping crises: A framework for analyzing governance challenges to addressing environmental land-use problems’ [2023] Environmental Science and Policy 141, 168; Van Hardeveld et al. (n 20); Den Uyl & Wassen (n 20).
33 Den Uyl & Wassen (n 20).
34 ibid. 801.
35 D. Hegger, & C. Dieperink, ‘Toward successful joint knowledge production for climate change adaptation: Lessons from six regional projects in the Netherlands’ (2014) 19 Ecology and Society 2, 34.
36 Den Uyl & Wassen (n 20).
37 ibid. 827.
38 Van den Hove (n 8).
39 Van Enst et al. (n 8).
40 D.W. Cash, W.C. Clark, F. Alcock, N.M. Dickson, N. Eckley, D.H. Guston, J. Jäger & R.B. Mitchell, ‘Knowledge systems for sustainable development’ (2003) 100 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 14, 8086.
41 Van Enst et al. (n 8).
42 ibid.
43 Stouthamer et al. (n 21) 2.
44 Van Enst et al. (n 8).
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46 Stouthamer et al. (n 21.
47 E.g. Van Hardeveld et al., 2018b (n 20); Den Uyl & Wassen (n 20); Stouthamer et al. (n 21).
48 J.H. Kwakkel, M. Haasnoot & W.E. Walker, ‘Comparing Robust Decision-Making and Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways for model-based decision support under deep uncertainty’ [2016] Environmental Modelling and Software 86, 168.
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50 Cash et al. (n 45).
51 Van Enst et al. (n 8) 6.
52 Van den Born et al. (n 30).
53 A. van Buuren & J. Edelenbos, ‘Why is joint knowledge production such a problem?’ (2004) 31 Science and Public Policy 4, 289; Hegger et al. (n 10).
54 Van Enst et al. (n 8).
55 Hegger et al. (n 8) 157.
56 W.I. van Enst, H.A.C. Runhaar & P.P.J. Driessen, ‘Boundary organisations and their strategies: Three cases in the Wadden Sea’ [2016] Environmental Science and Policy 55, 416.
57 W.I. van Enst, P.P.J. Driessen & H.A.C. Runhaar, ‘Working at the boundary: An empirical study into the goals and strategies of knowledge brokers in the field of environmental governance in the Netherlands’ (2017) 9 Sustainability (Switzerland) 11, 1962.
58 Van Enst et al. (n 64); Guston (n 15).
59 E.g. Van Enst et al. (n 64).
60 Hegger et al. (n 8); Hegger & Dieperink (n 40); G.T. Raadgever, E. Mostert & N.C. van de Giesen, ‘Learning from Collaborative Research in Water Management Practice’ (2012) 26 Water Resources Management, 11, 3251.
61 Hegger et al. (n 8) 157.
62 Van Enst et al. (n 8); Hegger et al. (n 8).
63 Gieryn (n 17).
64 Van Hardeveld et al. 2019 (n 20).
65 E.g. Hegger & Dieperink (n 40).
66 R. van Brouwershaven & P.J. Lokker, ‘Peatland, an authentic landscape’ (2010) 27 Landschap 3, 121.; Hegger & Dieperink (n 35).
67 Van Hardeveld et al. 2018b (n 20).
85 ibid. 5-6.
86 ibid. 8.
87 ibid. 9.
68 Van Hardeveld et al. 2017, 2018a, 2018b & 2019 (n 20).
69 Van Hardeveld et al. 2019 (n 20).
70 ibid. 142.
71 ibid. 135.
72 ibid.
73 Van Hardeveld et al. 2018b (n 20).
74 ibid. 434.
75 Van Hardeveld et al. 2018a (n 20).
88 <https://www.pbl.nl/en> accessed 8 November 2022.
89 <http://www.kennisprogrammabodemdaling.nl/home/> accessed 8 November 2022.
90 <http://www.bodembeweging.nl/> accessed 8 November 2022.
91 <https://www.waterenklimaat.nl/onderzoekslijnen/nationaal-kennisprogramma-bodemdaling> accessed 8 November 2022.
92 <https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/kamerstukken/2019/07/15/regio-deal-bodemdaling-groene-hart> accessed 8 November 2022.
93 Van Hardeveld et al. 2019 (n 20).
94 Van Hardeveld et al. 2018b (n 20).
95 Van Hardeveld et al. 2018a (n 20).
96 Van Hardeveld et al. 2017 (n 20).
76 Van Hardeveld et al. 2017 (n 20).
77 A. Boin, M. Ekengren & M. Rhinard, ‘Hiding in Plain Sight: Conceptualizing the Creeping Crisis’ (2020) 11 Risk, Hazards and Crisis in Public Policy 2, 116; van den Ende et al. (n 32).
78 Stouthamer et al. (n 21).
79 Funtowicz & Ravetz (n 3); as echoed by J. Corburn, ‘Cities, climate change and urban heat island mitigation: Localising global environmental science’ (2009) 46 Urban Studies 2, 413; Z. Kovacic, ‘Investigating science for governance through the lenses of complexity’ [2017] Futures 91, 80; R.A. Pielke Jr., ‘Post-normal science in a German landscape’ (2012) 7 Nature and Culture 2, 196; E. Skrimizea, H. Haniotou & C. Parra, ‘On the ‘complexity turn’ in planning: An adaptive rationale to navigate spaces and times of uncertainty’ (2019) 18 Planning Theory 1, 122.
80 Funtowicz & Ravetz (n 3).
81 Skrimizea et al. (n 96).
82 As discussed by L. Davies & L. Henderson in this special issue.
83 Pielke (n 96); A. Saltelli, G. Bammer, I. Bruno, E. Charters, M. Di Fiore, E. Didier, W. Nelson Espeland, J. Kay, S. Lo Piano, D. Mayo, R. Pielke Jr, T. Portaluri, T.M. Porter, A. Puy, I. Rafols, J.R. Ravetz, E. Reinert, D. Sarewitz, P.B. Stark, A. Stirling, J. van der Sluijs & P. Vineis,’Five ways to ensure that models serve society: a manifesto’ (2020) 582 Nature 7813, 482.
84 R.A. Pielke, The honest broker: Making sense of science in policy and politics (Cambridge University Press 2007).