Ethics and Governance of Nuclear Technology: The Case of the Long Term Management of Radiactive Wastes

LAVELLE S., SCHIEBER C., SCHNEIDER T.

Radioactive waste, remaining radioactive for very long periods up to hundreds of thousands years, introduce a new time dimension never experimented in the field of risk management. This situation led for more than 10 years, to reflections on the societal and organisational

Ethical Governance of Emerging Technologies Development, IGI Global Publisher, USA, 2013

Abstract

Radioactive waste, remaining radioactive for very long periods up to hundreds of thousands years, introduce a new time dimension never experimented in the field of risk management. This situation led for more than 10 years, to reflections on the societal and organisational mechanisms for the development of protection systems, able to cope with those periods. Within the framework of the European research project COWAM 2, dedicated to the improvement of governance of radioactive waste management in Europe, a panel of stakeholders involving experts, authorities, waste managers, locally elected representatives and NGOs, opened a dialogue on the ethical considerations related to the long-term dimensions of this management. This article presents the main results of this panel, with specific emphasis on the meaning of the long term and what is at stake, the ethical dimension regarding long term issues, and the continuity and sustainability of the vigilance and surveillance of radioactive waste facilities.

A1159