a nuclear accident occurs within their jurisdiction; and the Convention on Assistance in Case
of Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency,
by which states that have signed the convention
agree to help other states in which a nuclear
accident has occurred. Fourth, more importance
was attached to risk communication and public
engagement. The complexity of nuclear power
technologies makes it difficult for the public to
understand, which creates antipathy. Nuclear
accidents made people concerned about nuclear
radiation. Governments started to focus on risk
communication and public engagement to win
the public over to nuclear energy.
(3) Occurrence and resolution of safety issues
The main line of nuclear power technology
development is characterised by initial attention
to engineering equipment, later to human operation, then to response to natural disasters.
Increasingly reliable engineering equipment and
standard operating procedures gradually replace
human actions.
(4) Safety challenges
Nuclear power has characteristics that no other
power generation technology has. It is safe, clean
and sustainable, but if an accident occurs it has
the potential to destroy people and the environment. International governance and oversight are
therefore essential to ensure that safety is prioritised and risk is minimal.
The special characteristics of nuclear power
pose numerous challenges on nuclear power
safety. Nuclear power is highly sensitive clean
energy with far-reaching effects if a major accident occurs. It needs the support of modern
national governance. Its special characteristics
pose strict requirements for scientific
decision-making, public engagement and safety
supervision. The rapidly decreasing cost of
renewable energy and ever-stricter regulations on
nuclear power safety supervision challenge the
cost-effectiveness of nuclear power.
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s
(NRC) safety standards have played an important
role in minimising risk. After Three Mile Island,
the NRC defined two safety thresholds. First, the
risk of instantaneous death to the individuals
around a nuclear power plant, due to a nuclear
accident, should not exceed one thousandth of
the sum of the risks of instantaneous death to the
whole of society from other accidents. Second,
the risk of death by cancer to individuals around
an operating nuclear power plant should not
exceed one thousandth of the sum of the risk of
death by cancer to the whole of society from
other causes. Over the past 30 years and within
the framework of the two thresholds, safety
standards were improved, facilitating the safe
and long-term development of nuclear power.
Experience shows that global nuclear power
plants meet the two thresholds. However, the
public does not accept nuclear power. Even
though nuclear power does not increase the risk
of death and cancer, the public’s concern about
nuclear power remains strong. Why? The two
millesimal safety thresholds set more than
30 years ago do not meet current safety
requirements. Fukushima exposed their shortcomings. Part of the public’s concern after
Fukushima is about the impact of radiation on
marine life. The same goes for China’s inland
nuclear power plants, where the public is concerned about the impact on the Yangtze River’s
ecology. Environmental safety is not included in
the two NRC safety thresholds.
The absence of environmental safety standards causes many problems. It is difficult to
measure and compare the environmental impact
of different industrial sectors effectively. The
public’s faith in nuclear power is therefore
ambivalent. The lack of quantitative environmental safety thresholds means there is insufficient scientific evidence to justify improvements
to safety standards. But more and more safety
368
S. Zifeng and N. Dickens
of Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency,
by which states that have signed the convention
agree to help other states in which a nuclear
accident has occurred. Fourth, more importance
was attached to risk communication and public
engagement. The complexity of nuclear power
technologies makes it difficult for the public to
understand, which creates antipathy. Nuclear
accidents made people concerned about nuclear
radiation. Governments started to focus on risk
communication and public engagement to win
the public over to nuclear energy.
(3) Occurrence and resolution of safety issues
The main line of nuclear power technology
development is characterised by initial attention
to engineering equipment, later to human operation, then to response to natural disasters.
Increasingly reliable engineering equipment and
standard operating procedures gradually replace
human actions.
(4) Safety challenges
Nuclear power has characteristics that no other
power generation technology has. It is safe, clean
and sustainable, but if an accident occurs it has
the potential to destroy people and the environment. International governance and oversight are
therefore essential to ensure that safety is prioritised and risk is minimal.
The special characteristics of nuclear power
pose numerous challenges on nuclear power
safety. Nuclear power is highly sensitive clean
energy with far-reaching effects if a major accident occurs. It needs the support of modern
national governance. Its special characteristics
pose strict requirements for scientific
decision-making, public engagement and safety
supervision. The rapidly decreasing cost of
renewable energy and ever-stricter regulations on
nuclear power safety supervision challenge the
cost-effectiveness of nuclear power.
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s
(NRC) safety standards have played an important
role in minimising risk. After Three Mile Island,
the NRC defined two safety thresholds. First, the
risk of instantaneous death to the individuals
around a nuclear power plant, due to a nuclear
accident, should not exceed one thousandth of
the sum of the risks of instantaneous death to the
whole of society from other accidents. Second,
the risk of death by cancer to individuals around
an operating nuclear power plant should not
exceed one thousandth of the sum of the risk of
death by cancer to the whole of society from
other causes. Over the past 30 years and within
the framework of the two thresholds, safety
standards were improved, facilitating the safe
and long-term development of nuclear power.
Experience shows that global nuclear power
plants meet the two thresholds. However, the
public does not accept nuclear power. Even
though nuclear power does not increase the risk
of death and cancer, the public’s concern about
nuclear power remains strong. Why? The two
millesimal safety thresholds set more than
30 years ago do not meet current safety
requirements. Fukushima exposed their shortcomings. Part of the public’s concern after
Fukushima is about the impact of radiation on
marine life. The same goes for China’s inland
nuclear power plants, where the public is concerned about the impact on the Yangtze River’s
ecology. Environmental safety is not included in
the two NRC safety thresholds.
The absence of environmental safety standards causes many problems. It is difficult to
measure and compare the environmental impact
of different industrial sectors effectively. The
public’s faith in nuclear power is therefore
ambivalent. The lack of quantitative environmental safety thresholds means there is insufficient scientific evidence to justify improvements
to safety standards. But more and more safety
368
S. Zifeng and N. Dickens