OVERCOMING THE RISK PERCEPTION GAP: A SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE APPROACH TO WASTE MANAGEMENT

摘要

How a technology is to be implemented is not strictly a technical determination, and decisions about what ought to be done involve much more than confidence in scientific and technological ability. Important factors are the need to respect different viewpoints and perspectives, and to consult the affected public and involve it in the decision making process. The public acceptance of projects and proposals involving radioactive waste management is dominated by questions related to values, fairness, rights and responsibilities. Using radioactive material will always involve some degree of uncertainty, which the public may view in a way that ascribes an inflated value to the risks involved. Experience seems to suggest that attempts to bring the public's perception of the risks more in line with the scientifically calculated values simply by providing information (education) have little positive effect. It may be more productive to recognize that the public will invariably incorporate non-scientific values in its decision making processes. Under such circumstances, nuclear waste management projects and other proposals dealing with the use of radioactive material could be made more publicly acceptable by ensuring that their characteristics reflect the values used by most members of the public in making risk assessments.