447
Nuclear Waste Risk Governance
Language: English
Format: Regular Session
Session Organizers: Shu-Fen Kao & Yoichi Yuasa
Chairs: Shu-Fen Kao & Ryoichi Terada
Session Description:
The politics of nuclear waste risk governance is closely related to conflicts between technocracy and democracy, worldwide but particularly in East Asia, where has had historical context of authoritative politics and regulatory cultures of concealing and ignoring risks. It’s critical to investigate how nuclear waste disposal siting decisions deliberately and systematically fall upon disadvantaged and vulnerable communities and create phenomena of environmental injustice and social inequality. Considering nuclear waste risk governance, a number of key research questions may be addressed. (1) What is the role of science and technology in nuclear waste risk-related policymaking? (2) Do people in the local community at risk understand the hazard and its consequences? (3) Do local people and organizations have the capacity to manage the risk and the resilience to deal with unavoidable consequences? (4) What societal, environmental and economic values affect people’s willingness to accept the risk? (5) What social inequality structures increase risks that disadvantaged groups face? (6) To What extent should a precautionary approach be employed to address uncertainty and ambiguity? (7) How best should we balance an inclusive/deliberative approach to nuclear waste disposal siting decision-making with the need to reach a decision? Both theoretical and empirical papers related to this session are welcome.