PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTANCE

People enjoy the sea by the Kanupp nuclear power plant near Karachi. Photograph: James L Stanfield/National Geographic/Getty

The growth of the nuclear power option is impeded in many countries by public concerns over the safety and environmental consequences of producing electricity by means of nuclear reactors. Historically, the main components of this public concern have been the potential for serious nuclear reactor accidents, the day-to-day operational safety of nuclear reactors, the association in the public's mind between nuclear power and

nuclear weapons, and the question of what to do with radioactive waste. Scientists and engineers working on the technical aspects of nuclear reactor operation and radioactive waste disposal have developed an international consensus that the reactors can be operated safely and the waste can be permanently managed in a manner that protects the environment and public health. However, this view is not necessarily shared by the general public.

This paper examines the nature and causes of public concerns about the development and implementation of the plans and technologies for nuclear power, the need for public understanding and acceptance of such plans and technologies, and the means for potentially achieving it.

National programs for interaction between the nuclear industry and the public vary, and there is no universal formula because social and political systems and levels of existing public understanding and acceptance vary from country to country. However, in some ways, the fundamental principles for achieving public understanding and acceptance of nuclear power may be the same for all technologies and in all countries, since they deal with basic human nature. It is these principles and the experience of applying them to nuclear power that are discussed in this paper.

Why is Public Acceptance Necessary?

Most national programs for nuclear power started with an examination of the economic, technical and scientific questions that must be answered in order to develop confidence that nuclear reactors can be constructed and operated safely and efficiently. There has been active international cooperation in this area, and the scientists and engineers who have addressed these questions have generally concluded that acceptable methods for operating nuclear power stations exist and are widely followed.

However, the same effort has not been devoted to the socio-political problems surrounding nuclear energy, not least because they were unanticipated and are still for the most part not well understood. Public concern has been expressed in most countries about the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, and this public concern has in many cases led to postponement or failure to start or expand nuclear power programs, and in some cases even caused a retrenchment of existing programs.

Therefore, it can be concluded that establishing scientific confidence that nuclear power plants can be safely operated does not by itself eliminate the public concern about them. Many countries, utilities and industry associations have implemented public interaction programs, the intent of which is to develop the degree of public understanding necessary to allow their nuclear power programs to be implemented and to expand as required. Such public interaction programs encompass activities that range from simply giving the public information to involving members of the public or special interest groups in the decision-making process.

References :
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/mh/u/INSCAP/Pubund.html
http://www.iaea.org/Publications/Magazines/Bulletin/Bull322/32204791315.pdf