Tarmo Soomere is an Estonian marine scientist and mathematician. Having led a distinct scientific and academic career in marine sciences and engineering, he has received international and domestic recognition as an Academia Europaea member and president of the Estonian Academy of Sciences since 2014. In the framework of this conference, he is an excellent position to speak about the importance of balanced input in advising decision-makers, pointing to the fact that advice mechanisms generally amplify any bias because of the fact that the minority’s voice tends not to reach the decision-makers, and at some stage of the process, the context of original advice also tends to be forgotten.