4. SOME CHALLENGES AND PROBLEMS IN DEALINGS WITH AUTHORITY
4.5. SCIENTIFIC VERSUS NON SCIENTIFIC OPINION
'We acted in goodfaith on the advice ofscientists, but its one ofthose cases where nature has proved everyone wrong and we have to learnfrom this'219
South Durban environmentalists have, from time to time, expressed a concern that local authority lacks capacity to independently test the scientific conclusions made by industry and technical consultants. Similarly, politicians who rely on the advice of specialists, also run the risk of misinterpreting or (worse) being misled by those presenting the technical findings.22o Another aspect is that a consultant or specialist may, in simplifying the information, inadvertently present a picture that overly influences the final decision.221 Communities on the other hand are not as easily misled as they tend towards making value judgements and regularly intuit a situation based on the evidence they see before them. These informal assessments (the common sense approach) often Yields unexpectedly accurate resuhs notwithstanding the paucity of skills and information available on which to form conclusions. Unfortunately this ability of community groups to independently assess situations on non-scientific grounds does not engender much enthusiasm from the ranks of officialdom and industry. Indeed community inputs are all too easily dismissed by authority as being unsubstantiated, especially when briefed by the industry appointed scientific establishment.
219Sunday Tribune 10 February 2002 article entitled 'R5million botch up' referring to the Umdloti lagoon wash away and quoting DAEA Director for Environmental Impact Management Sarah AlIen.
220Non specialist politicians suffer an 'incapacity to understand the mysteries of science...[meaning that]...they maybeduped by those who deliberately mystify them for their own game' - quote found in O'Riordan
Environmentalism 1981 243.
221Itis clear that decision makers due to work pressures may not alwaysbeable to read a voluminous
environmental report but will occasionally rely on the consultant's executive summary and verbal presentation for information upon which to base his/her decision.
A series of industrial plant, vessel and infrastructure failures has led to doubt being cast over the abilities of scientists to perform accurate assessments.222 This has led to a growing awareness that to endow 'scientists' with privileged positions in the decision-making process is an outright folly. A regular feature of interactions with alleged 'experts' in South Durban is their inexperience with local conditions and ignorance of community knowledge of the environment. Community attempts to report on personal experience or to suggest ahernatives is often dismissed purely on grounds of it being non-expert opinion and therefore of little consequence.
A 'scientifically informed' study assumes a degree of rationality and precision that non-scientific approaches are believed to lack. Science, therefore, purports to offer an attractive control as it ignores non-scientific alternatives. This is especially useful for decision-makers faced with troubling submissions by community for they can use science as a means of exerting, or perhaps regaining, control over a process. Not acknowledged, nor highlighted is that the practice of science 'necessarily involves uncertainty' - for to do so would cast doubt on the resuhs.223 An example of how 'science' can be used to manage opinion is provided in the way in which a major industrial accident was investigated in South Durban.224 In May 1998 a huge explosion and fire rocked the Sapref oil refinery leading to an investigation into the
222This is especially so in so called specialist risk assessments where hazard and failure rates are stated at miniscule probabilities (such as 1 in million), only to have the plant or vessel fail shortly afterwards. The events at Saprefs alkylation unit in 1998, the Tetra ethyl lead tank failurein2001, the Foskor start up incident in
Empangeni (2002) and the ongoing Umdloti lagoon debacle are all examples of the failure of science.
223Milton Freeman 'Graphs and Gaffs: A Cautionary Tale in Common-Property Resources Debate' in F Berkes op cit 106.
224Perhaps 'reported on' is more accurate a description than 'investigated.,' as authority does not appear to have the capacity to conclude technical investigations of its own.
causes of the inferno and subsequent loss of toxic compounds. A written report was duly compiled by the company and presented to authority - the authority itself presumably incapable of conducting its own investigation. SDCEA, however, was not as impressed with the findings and requested an independent refinery specialist to review the report.225 Whilst the technical details are irrelevant to this paper, the independent expert made the observation that the way in which the report was conducted was analogous to 'someone investigating an car accident and noting smooth tyres and a faulty brake system' concluding that the cause of the accident was due to these faults without paying any attention to the reasons why the vehicle was travelling at 150km!hr in a 60km zone.'226 Needless to say, the report was accepted by Government. Another example is contained in the Umdloti river recreational facility which has been held directly responsible for widespread destruction of riverine habitat.
Ahhough vigorously opposed by environmental groups, the development was permitted to proceed by provincial authorities but, following its collapse, has now been ordered removed by the self same authorities who permitted it.
Modernist thinking is to hold that knowledge of local conditions and history is a form of 'specialist knowledge' uniquely held by that community. Communities should therefore be accepted as experts on their own environment and be provided with resources to further develop this capacity. Unfortunately thisisnot the case in South Durban with most 'scientific' assessments being limited to studies involving the natural sciences to the virtual exclusion of the social sciences which it is submitted is equally
225Castell M The Power of Identity: 2000 123 notes the linkages between environmentalism and science and the necessity for any major environmental movement to retain the services of scientists.
Assessment of South Durban when a disproportionate bias was exhibited towards so- called scientific findings to the detriment of community determinations.228
The NEMA has since recognised this deficiency and allows that the skills and capacities of interested and affected parties must be ensured as a necessary precondition for achieving equitable and effective participation of 'vulnerable and disadvantaged persons.'229 Equally important, the NEMA states that decisions must take into account 'the interests, needs and values of all interested and affected parties' whilst recognising 'all forms of knowledge.'230 It remains to be seen how these provisions willbe implemented.
226EugeneC .aImcrossLecturerA·IrQua Ity Management Cape Techmoon at a meeting held with South Durban1· . Community Environmental Alliance 05/11/98.
227P I ·ersona IDt ·ervIeW WIt. hDrScott,U·mversIty ofNatal Dept. Geographical. & Environmental Sciences.
228Durban South Basin Strategic Environmental Assessment November 1996 - August 1999. There may well havebeenpolitical reasons for this rejection.
229N~MA, Act 107 of 1998 Section 2 (4)(f). The Act does not elaborate further on the mechanisms for delivery of capacity.
230Section 2(4)(g).