Devil's bargain? energy risks and the public : first report of session 2012-13 : report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Devil's bargain? energy risks and the public : first report of session 2012-13 : report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence
（HC, 428）
Stationery Office, 2012
- Other Title
-
First report from the Science and Technology Committee : session 2012-13
Available at / 1 libraries
-
No Libraries matched.
- Remove all filters.
Note
At head of title: House of Commons. Science and Technology Committee
"Additional written evidence is contained in volume II, available on the Committee website at www.parliament.uk/science"
"Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 27 June 2012"
"[Incorporating HC 1742-i to iv, session 2010-12]"
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The UK Government's position as an advocate for nuclear power makes it difficult for the public to trust it as an impartial source of information. Technically competent public bodies that are independent of Government - such as the Health & Safety Executive and Office for Nuclear Regulation - are in a much better position to engender public trust and influence risk perceptions. The Committee calls on these regulators to make greater efforts to communicate risk to the public and develop their role as trusted sources of information for lay people, in addition to providing risk information for technical audiences. There is also a lack of strategic coordination across Government when it comes to risk communication. A senior individual in Government should lead a Risk Communication Strategy team, drawing together existing expertise within Departments and public bodies - and be visibly responsible for overseeing risk communication.
Furthermore, the decision to class the Fukushima incident at the same 'Level Seven' magnitude as Chernobyl - despite there being significantly lower levels of radioactive material released into the atmosphere and no deaths directly attributable to the accident - demonstrates the need to revise the scale used to communicate the magnitude of nuclear accidents. The global body responsible for the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) should review the scale. This report also calls on sources to emphasise to the public that exceeding recommended minimal radiation exposure levels may not pose any risk to people or the environment
by "Nielsen BookData"
