Addressing Public Concerns: The Role of Past Inquiries

Abstract

Virtually all aspects of nuclear energy have been the subject of more than 30 national and international inquiries. The resulting reports make recommendations to improve the current situation, often with regard to maintaining or improving safety; some conclude that nuclear energy is not yet needed in their jurisdictions; and one recommends a moratorium on new nuclear power plants in Canada pending agreement on waste disposal. However, the most striking observation is that none rejects nuclear energy, when needed and under stipulated conditions. Despite the endorsement of the nuclear industry's position provided by these inquiries, public acceptance has not been achieved. This is partly because very few people -- even in the nuclear industry -- are aware of the inquiries1 findings, but more is involved. Study of the inquiries suggests that the industry and the public are talking past each other: While the industry concentrates on technical questions, the public is more concerned with ones broadly categorized as "ethics". These have been addressed by some inquiries, but much less thoroughly than the technical questions. The irony of the current situation is that while members of the industry believe that for many applications nuclear energy is the energy source of choice, they fail to challenge the public conception that nuclear energy is a necessary evil. The obvious lesson to be learned is that the industry should devote more attention to what concerns the public. A recent publication presents the ethical case for nuclear energy from a proponent's angle. The inquiries can be useful both in identifying the ethical issues, and in addressing the public's lack of trust in the industry and its regulator. Instead of saying "Trust us, the industry should be saying "Don't trust us -- check for yourself what independent inquiries have found".