Radioactive Waste Management

Abstract

There are several reasons for giving the area of radioactive waste management (rwm) much attention when we study societal decision processes for complex issues. First of all rwm is the very prototype of a scientifically complex problem that needs political solutions. It contains a wide range of disciplines in natural sciences and technology, such as geology, hydrology, mechanics, chemistry and metal corrosion. It also contains social sciences and a very high level of ethical and value-laden considerations. There have been many failures and even a few success stories over a 30-year period during which numerous rwm programmes have commenced, made some progress, been halted and failed, and then been re-started with new approaches sometimes only to encounter new sets of problems. The issue of nuclear waste, being part of the overall debate about nuclear energy, has at times been extremely controversial — it has even caused governments to fall.