IPPA

Implementing Public Participation Approaches in Radioactive Waste Disposal

 Partecipanti

Mappa

 Word cloud

Esplora la "nuvola delle parole (Word Cloud) per avere un'idea di massima del progetto.

 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

The focus of IPPA is on the establishment of arenas where different stakeholders can move forward together to increase their understanding of the issues involved in radioactive waste disposal and of their respective views. The focus is on implementation in some central and eastern European countries. The overall structure is in one end to take stock of existing research results and other experiences for implementation, and in the other end to evaluate to provide feedback to knowledge and research. The framework of the “Implementing Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste Technology Platform” (IGD-TP) can be a suitable forum in which to investigate these issues further, therefore emphasis is given to linking IPPA results to the development of the platform.

Work Package 1 provides participants with information and overview of theoretical achievements and practical experiences both from research and national programmes that should be valuable when organizing activities and arenas for participation and transparency. An information package on basic approaches is produced for that purpose.

In Work Package 2, the RISCOM Model and other approaches to public involvement are implemented in five radioactive waste management (rwm) programmes in Central and Eastern European countries. The practical implementation activities will vary between countries, as the status of the programmes, other national and local factors and issues of debate differ.

In Work Package 3, certain issues of common interest for all countries and for groups of countries will be investigated - Cross-border issues (such as Environmental Impact Assessment and the Espoo Convention), The regional repository option and application of the Aarhus Convention. The ARGONA empirical data for analysing how negotiations on compensation can be implemented at the local level and the study ended in concrete recommendations for this. In Work Package 4, these and other issues will be further examined and communicated with municipalities in participating countries.

In Work Package 5 a review will be made of activities in Work Package 2 in order to provide feedback to these activities and also to the European knowledge base for processes of participation and transparency. The dissemination of IPPA approaches and results will take place in Work Package 6. A project website will be developed and maintained, and an End Users Conferences will be organized towards the end of project.

Introduzione (Teaser)

Decision making regarding contentious issues such as nuclear energy can fall victim to narrow framing of the topic by key players at the outset. Scientists used a novel participatory framework to encourage public dialogue and greater understanding.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

When making important decisions affecting the public, technical experts can fail to take into account broader societal perspectives and opinions. Sometimes sociologists take a softer view on interpretation rather than including hard facts. Either of these situations can lead to obstacles in decision making and/or adaptation of decisions.

The 'Implementing public participation approaches in radioactive waste disposal' (http://www.ippaproject.eu/ (IPPA)) project was initiated to field test the creation of 'safe spaces' for stakeholder dialogue. Discussions were geared toward increasing participants' understanding of relevant issues and providing a forum to exchange ideas and opinions.

A model developed by the earlier RISCOM initiative was used to guide participants through arguments within a trustworthy decision-making process. The RISCOM model and other approaches to public involvement were implemented in five radioactive waste management programmes. The focus was on central and eastern European countries (Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia).

IPPA's user-friendly website hosts its Participation Tool Box that organisations or groups can use in stakeholder engagement activities. The Tool Box has participation tools, methods and processes described according to a variety of descriptive criteria related to the target group, including what the objectives of the activity are. Users can compare up to five tools, methods and processes to aid in selection.

Since the ideas may be new to many outside the realm of the social sciences, the Tool Box comes with guiding principles to help stakeholders identify what they are hoping to achieve through the participation process. A Help page provides more detailed information on how the Tool Box works.

Project findings showed that the radioactive waste management sector requires a systematic and comprehensive approach to understanding societal decision-making processes. Some stakeholders hesitated to take part in activities despite the creation of safe places. This requires serious consideration in order for any public participation process to be successful and sustainable.

IPPA responded to the social and political challenges facing the successful implementation of a radioactive waste repository programme by using new approaches to public participation and transparency. The project's results point the way to enhancing the decision-making process by taking into account the broader societal perspective.