Understanding the Societal Challenges Facing Nuclear Power Proceedings of a Workshop (2022) / Chapter Skim
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1 The Nuclear Industry's Record of Public Engagement
1 The Nuclear Industry's Record of Public Engagement
Pages 7-16
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STRATEGIES OF TRUST IN THE FIRST NUCLEAR ERA Thomas R Wellock, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Wellock described three distinct strategies the nuclear industry and regulators have pursued to gain public trust since the beginning of the nuclear era, which he characterized as "trust the experts," "trust the numbers," and "earning trust." Trust the Experts (1950s–1970)
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This changed after a construction permit was issued for the Fermi 1 liquid sodium fast breeder reactor near Detroit, a facility whose design had been criticized, leading to public outcry. After that, more of the licensing and construction process was made public, but industry and pro-nuclear elected officials welcomed public hearings, believing that more information would only reassure the public.
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Books and movies explored the notion that exploiting atomic energy for weapons would lead to the apocalypse. After seeing the devastation wrought by atomic bombs at the end of World War II, and later upon the advent of the even more powerful hydrogen bomb, concerns about the dangers of nuclear weapons moved from science fiction to scientific reality.
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This opposition, brought to a head after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, was framed in terms of two factors: safety and pollution. In addition to concerns over catastrophic accidents, the focus on pollution tapped into a visceral sense of revulsion and the idea that a tiny particle of nuclear waste could cause environmental harm across large distances and on long timescales.
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From page 11... ...
In addition to the clear health dangers of air pollution from fossil fuel use, Weart noted that "the policy decisions we make in this decade will determine the planet's climate for the next 10,000 years." Yet, perceptions of fossil fuels have not tapped into our fears of unchecked power and apocalypse, or a visceral sense of disgust, in the same way that nuclear energy has throughout its history. Despite the science indicating that climate change has a high chance of causing widespread disruptions and some chance of causing "apocalyptic" changes, Weart said, "we haven't gotten properly scared of climate change." THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY'S RECORD OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT M.V.
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Regaining Public Trust Panelists discussed the challenges of regaining public trust once it is lost, and whether there are process improvements that could help. Wellock said that, based on past experience, public hearings have generally not been an effective mechanism for engendering public trust in nuclear energy.
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From page 13... ...
He suggested that extended safe operation is the best way for the nuclear industry to earn public support, although he noted that public trust can be easily lost again when things go wrong. Abdulla suggested that nuclear power may have a higher hill to climb in terms of building public trust compared to other technologies, such as aviation or medical advances, in part because the benefits are less visible in people's everyday lives, while the risks are more obvious.
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From page 14... ...
Weart posited that the problem arises in part from a communication disconnect between more logically oriented engineers, who focus on statistics, and a more emotionally oriented public, influenced by disturbing photos or disaster scenarios for which the nuclear industry has not offered a satisfying answer. Another issue that has gone unaddressed is the link between expanding nuclear energy and expanding access to nuclear weapons, in particular for nuclear terrorism, about which governments and the public are justifiably nervous, he noted.
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2008. "Compromising Safety: Design Choices and Severe Accident Possibilities in India's Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor." Science and Global Security 16(3)
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2021. "GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy: Helping Meet the UK's Clean Electricity Needs." Built Environment Networking, February 2.
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