Nuclear waste – whose problem?

Quote
“The key to disposing of high-level nuclear waste appears to be not technology, or terrain – but trust.”  Richard Black, BBC Environment Correspondent.

News

A High Court appeal by residents of a small village in Northamptonshire against the decision to allow radioactive waste to be dumped near their village was rejected last week.  This follows a two year battle during which community groups resisted plans by a large corporate, Augean, to bury rubble from decommissioned nuclear power plants.

The company claims they have ‘followed closely the standards set by law and the guidance of the Environment Agency and the Health Protection Agency to ensure that the proposals will be safe.’  However, the local community takes a different view and has published a convincing set of arguments that the long term risks are higher than the company claims. The dispute may have been settled in the High Court, but it is far from resolved at the relational level.

The success of this initiative requires a high degree of trust between the parties. It is not enough for the company to argue compliance with various health and safety standards set by remote national agencies.  Residents have good reason to doubt the value of such guarantees, especially when the government has an interest in increasing the national capacity for nuclear waste disposal.   The local community needs assurance that Augean is not only seeking a profit for shareholders, but takes into account the needs of other stakeholders.  Unfortunately, most big business simply doesn’t work that way.

Trust is built relationally; company executives must make time for ongoing dialogue with community leaders face to face, listen carefully to their specific concerns, make appropriate concessions, and adapt their proposals accordingly.  And not only to gain the initial approval.

The benefits of the nuclear industry are reaped by the whole nation, in that it permits cheap, clean energy to be generated.  The risks, however, are borne disproportionately by the communities around the power stations, near the waste disposal sites, and on the transport routes in between.  The government needs to earn the trust of local communities by allocating sufficient resources to ensure safety of radioactive waste. 

It is only when the nuclear industry, the government and local communities agree on the balance between public interest and local safety that the relationships will be in place for a successful national nuclear industry. 

Read on

In Cumbria, a partnership of local councils and community organisations is providing a good example of more positive relationships between community and government in decision making over the disposal of radioactive waste.  Read an article likening this to Finland, where trust is seen as the key factor in decisions over nuclear waste, here.

Walk the talk

It takes a well-developed sensitivity to justice to ensure that risks are spread fairly between parties; in your sphere of responsibility, have you considered who bears the risk and who takes the rewards?

The last word
From the Bible, Proverbs 29:7 “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.”