CIAO DATE: 07/2008
December 2005
The stance of the political establishment, locally, nationally and internationally, towards a major technical-scientific issue such as nuclear energy can be enormously important. Energy supplies must be socially and politically acceptable.
This report looks at the challenges for politicians and the 'consumers' of their decisions. First, how to reintegrate science into decision-making without making the mistakes of the past in which some scientists were given almost a free hand over policy development. Secondly, how to take strong and possibly unpopular decisions before the impending crises of, say, energy shortages and climate change become unmanageable.
Resource link: The Importance of Politics to Nuclear New Build [PDF] - 2.1M