Observations on risks, the social sciences, and unconventional hydrocarbons

The activities employed in the development of unconventional hydrocarbon resources have been accompanied with health and environmental damages. To address the risks and damages from these activities, social scientists are probing probabilities of harm, estimating damages, and evaluating the ability of governmental regulators to arrest conduct causing damages. This lead article for a special issue on “Risks, the Social Sciences, and Unconventional Hydrocarbons” summarizes twenty papers to offer insights for developing policies to address future unconventional hydrocarbon development. Although economic, cultural, and political distinctions mean that people in different countries have diverse expectations on how their government should regulate energy development, the experiences reported by the papers of this special issue suggest that appropriate technology and governmental oversight can minimize adverse effects. Future research on the application and incorporation of ideas and knowledge into decisions and activities present challenges that call for innovative social science research to assist policy makers in meeting the challenges presented by the world's need for energy resources.