Governance of Radioactive Waste, Special Waste and Carbon Storage, 2023 Literacy in Dealing with Long-term Controversial Sociotechnical Issues Springer Textbooks in Earth Sciences, Geography and Environment Series

This book demonstrates that the long-term safety of nuclear waste repositories, special waste disposal and carbon storage (CCS) is highly challenging and monitoring may contribute to substantiate evidence, support decision making and legitimise the programme. Deep geological disposal is a long-term safety issue and, in parallel, requires long-term institutional involvement of the technoscientific community, waste producers, public administrators, NGOs and the public. What, where and when to monitor is determined by its goal setting: It may be operational, confirmatory (in the near field) or environmental (far field). Strategic monitoring as proposed here contributes to process, implementation or policy and institutional surveillance. It not only addresses the controversial long-lasting ?problem? (of nuclear, other toxic or CO₂ waste) but investigates some ways to approach for ?solutions? or solution spaces ? not just technical but also institutional, societal and personal. It includes the tailored transfer of knowledge, concept and system understanding, experience and documentation to specific audiences above. It is an integrative tool of targeted yet adaptive management and may be applicable to other long-term sociotechnical fields.

Chapter 1. Introduction: Setting the Problem(s).- Chapter 2. Chapter 2. Integrative Technology Assessment – Proposal for a Framework.- Chapter 3. Goals – Need, Rules and Procedures.- Chapter 4. Risk Characteristics and Evolution of (Risk and Safety) Concepts.- Chapter 5. Systems, Governance and Institutions.- Chapter 6. Strategic Monitoring.- Chapter 7. Conclusions and Outlook.- Book backmatter.

Thomas Flüeler, Dr. sc. nat. ETH, is a Senior Research Associate and lecturer at ETH Zurich, Institute for Environmental Decisions, Switzerland. In addition to research and consulting, he has extensive experience in regulatory activities: He was Nuclear Technology Unit Head at the Cantonal Directorate of Public Works, Zurich, and participated in the ongoing Swiss site-selection procedure for nuclear repositories as the cantonal project manager (until October 2022); he is a member of the oversight committee Commission de suivi of the Underground Research Laboratory Mont-Terri, Switzerland; and he was a member of the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Commission (KSA), an advisory committee to the Federal Government (1992–2004). His research foci are decision making in complex sociotechnical systems, especially institutional, regulatory and long-term aspects, concepts of robustness, resilience and vulnerability in the context of long-term governance of environmental issues, stakeholder involvement and inclusive expertise in complex systems.