Norwegians like to call the rags-to-riches tale of winning petroleum wealth from the terrifyingly hostile northern seas their “oil fairy tale”. In keeping with the mood this evokes, there is an underlying discomfort that the story may not end happily ever after. The result is a feeling of vigilance, and a sense of responsibility attached to the national good fortune. This manifests itself in two ways: a constant eye on how to adapt to dwindling oil reserves, and deep concern about the natural environment that brought forth these riches.