Value sensitive design: the case of shale gas exploitation

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Value sensitive design the case of shale gas
exploitation
Sixth Annual Conference on Competition and
Regulation in Network Industries (CRNI) 22
November 2013 Residence Palace in Brussels.
http//newenergyandfuel.com

Aad Correljé a.f.correlje_at_tudelft.nl Behnam
Taebi b.taebi_at_tudelft.nl Eefje
Cuppen e.h.w.j.cuppen_at_tudelft.nl   Udo Pesch
U.Pesch_at_tudelft.nl    Marloes Dignum m.dignum_at_tud
elft.nl
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Zimmermann A functional theory on resources
(1933, 1951)

• Resources are not, they become they are not
  static but expand and contract in response to
  human wants and human actions

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The creation of resources

• Is driven by the mother of all other resources
  Knowledge
• Changes with civilization
• Dynamic not only in response to increased
  knowledge, improved arts, expanding science, but
  also
• changing individual wants and social objectives
• Reflecting every change in the purpose of the
  appraiser
• Culture modifies natural environments and
  resources, and affects human attitudes and
  relations
• Resources are also returned to neutral stuff

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Shale gas the creation of a resource?
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Hypothesis

• Responsible shale gas innovation
• Appropriately reflect divergent stakeholders
  values.
• Both technologies and institutions incorporate
  values
• Contestation arises when not all values are
  incorporated
• To what extent do current shale gas technologies
  and institutions accommodate the variety of
  (conflicting) stakeholder values and (how) can
  technology and institutions be developed in such
  a way as to incorporate the variety of
  (conflicting) stakeholder values?

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Institutional economic approach

• Dominant mainstream economic framing of energy
  ignores relationships between energy
  production/use society
• Production and consumption of energy are linked
  to environmental, economic and social effects,
• With local, regional and global impacts.
• In our approach, environmental, safety and
  security of supply issues of energy markets are
  framed as public values
• E.g. welfare is not considered to be a simple
  neutral aggregation of all individual interests
  aiming at maximization
• We aim at internalizing labor relations,
  education, social security, external safety rules
  etc. into market behaviour as public values

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Values from different perspectives

• Ethics relates to
• Value upheld and value specification
• Values embedded in technologies
• Identifying value trade-offs and reflection on
  them
• Economics relates to values that are (or have
  become) embedded in institutional contexts
• The economic system as a realization of values
• The market and political realm as formative
  contexts in which values are stabilized
• STS look at dynamics of values
• In relation to their emergence during innovation
  trajectories
• In relation to their articulation in stakeholder
  interaction

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Where are the values in design?

• Value sensitive design aims at incorporating
  human values in technological design
• First developed in ICT, and furthered in other
  engineering fields
• Values at three levels

Institutional context
Stakeholders Participation
Technology
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Specifying values

• Values Generally considered important to be
  upheld
• Norms Formulated to realise values
• Design criteria Very specific criteria for
  complying with norms

Environmental friendliness
Prevent pollution surface water
Context dependent e.g. standards for drinking
water purification
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Construction of value hierarchy

• Building on (Van de Poel forthcoming)
• A value hierarchy can be constructed top-down or
  bottom-up
• Most arguments are voiced on the level of norms

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Example of a value hierarchy
The well need to be design such that it could
withstand seismic effects up to Y
There must be Compensation Fund for repairing any
damage caused up to the level Z.
Chemicals A, B and C may not reach the biosphere
with a concentration higher than a, b and c.
There must be constant monitoring of
micro-seismic activities for the period of X years

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Values conflicts in shale gas debate
Source Correlje, A., Cuppen, E., Dignum, M.,
Pesch, U. and B. Taebi, Forthcoming. Responsible
Innovation in Energy Projects Values in the
Design of Technologies, Institutions and
Stakeholder Interactions. In Responsible
Innovation. Volume II, edited by J. Van den
Hoven, E. J. Koops, H. A. Romijn, T. E. Swierstra
and I. Oosterlaken Springer
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Preliminary findings 1/2

• We have empirically analyzed the Dutch debate
• Situation in the Netherlands
• Both proponents and opponents are vociferous
  rich data
• As regards substantive values
• Proponents and opponents often endorse the same
  values The controversy often happens at the level
  of norm, and how one value is being
  operationalized
• Responsible innovation requires a better
  understanding of these controversies
• To what extent can the controversy be helped
  using new technology example of new exploitation
  methods

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E.g. Health and Safety
Arguments in favor
Groundwater contamination is extremely unlikely because the shale layer is 3000 meters under the groundwater level. There are six layers of impervious rocks in between the two layers. (Health Safety)
The drill and fracking technologies are proven and safe. (Health Safety)
Shale gas requires water. However, in Brabant this is less than 1 of the industrial water use by Brabant Water. (Environmental Friendliness)
Arguments against
Chemicals could migrate to the surface. (health safety, environmental friendliness)
Currently, there is too little known on shale gas exploration. (health safety, accountability)
The large quantities of water that are used for shale gas exploration could negatively impact water availability for agriculture. (Welfare, Health Safety)

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Preliminary findings 2/2

• Procedural values are often neglected in
  policy-making
• Questions of distributive justice
• Questions of procedural justice how to decide,
  who to decode, transparency of information and
  decision-making
• Particularly opponents seem to emphasize and add
  these values into the debate
• Responsible innovation of shale gas at least
  requires appropriate inclusion of these values
  into the design of
• Institutions and public participation

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Thank you

• Comments are highly appreciated, now or later
  through email
• The research team
• Aad Correljé a.f.correlje_at_tudelft.nl
• Eefje Cuppen e.h.w.j.cuppen_at_tudelft.nl  
• Marloes Dignum m.dignum_at_tudelft.nl
• Udo Pesch U.Pesch_at_tudelft.nl   
• Behnam Taebi b.taebi_at_tudelft.nl