Lost amongst imperatives of energy security, risk and climate change: Un-learn lessons of Chernobyl in the post-Soviet societies

Did the 25^th anniversary of Chernobyl mark any new – perhaps more reflexive, inclusive and participatory - modes of nuclear power and climate change governance in the post-Soviet countries? The article examines these questions by addressing the pubic controversies around new and old nuclear power facilities in divergent post-Soviet societies, particularly Lithuania, Belarus and the Ukraine. What are the lessons (if any) reflected in the public attitudes regarding nuclear power in terms of participatory governance, climate change and energy policies? How are they reflected in different post-Soviet countries, some of which are the EU new-comers, whereas the others are still characterized by rudiments of totalitarianism? Have 25 years lessons from the Chernobyl catastrophe, and possible cultural trauma stemming out of it, triggered environmental, climate and energy policy change towards more inclusive, participatory mode? By contrast, as this paper concludes on the basis of empirical evidence from Lithuania and neighboring countries, the processes point to the opposite direction. This direction is geared towards privatization of the public sphere, towards new emergent forms of state-private oligarchy, epitomized by the establishment of undemocratic nuclear power consortia, e.g. in Lithuania. Instead of witnessing any new off-springs of participatory governance, as paper indicates, these tendencies could be described as leading towards emergence of new “nuclear triangles” or – more generally - nuclear “renaissance” in the post-Soviet space. Is this “renaissance” a reflection of dichotomous public attitudes towards energy security in the period of economic crisis and transition? Or is it a more general tendency of societal neglect of Chernobyl lessons vis-à-vis globalizing uncertainties in the fields of economy, ethno-centric politics and climate change? The paper provides some sociological exploration of these issues based on recent public opinion surveys and analysis of public discourse.