In early 1982, the Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS) terminated two nuclear projects, triggering an episode of mass ratepayer insurgency throughout the state. In this survey of the crisis, Dr. Sugai analyzes the political and economic conditions that precipitated the protest and examines citizen opposition to the WPPSS nuclear venture b

This David and Goliath story chronicles and analyzes how a small, under-funded public interest group--Durham Nuclear Awareness of Oshawa, Ontario--mobilized opposition to the December 1994 re-licensing of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. Michael D. Mehta explores the struggle between Durham Nuclear Awareness and Canada's nuclear establishment to illustrate how risk as a concept can be used to understand contemporary political conflicts.

In In the Chamber of Risks William Leiss demonstrates that case studies of risk controversies show that those instincts are unreliable guides to effective risk management and that in all cases the opposite position is a far better guide. As risk management is inherently disputable, public perceptions of risk should be seen as legitimate and treated as such and the public should always be involved in discussions about risk evaluations made by scientists and risk managers. ; Leiss chronicles the erratic course of risk management and communication in environmental management in Canada, discussing the notable controversies that have arisen over pesticides and breast cancer, vinyl toys, genetically engineered food crops, cellular telephones, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, among many others. He focuses on risk management – how we make decisions about and assess hazards in the environment – and on risk communication – social dialogue that deals with both our intuitive feelings of concern about substances or activities that might hurt our health or the environment, and the scientific and probabilistic description of them. ; Leiss shows that both risk management and risk communication, when properly constructed, require an elaborate process because the very things that can cause harm are in most cases the same things that bring us great benefits, such as paper mills, electricity from nuclear power generating stations, or wireless telecommunications. ;

This open access book discusses the eroding economics of nuclear power for electricity generation as well as technical, legal, and political acceptance issues. The use of nuclear power for electricity generation is still a heavily disputed issue. Aside from technical risks, safety issues, and the unsolved problem of nuclear waste disposal, the economic performance is currently a major barrier. In recent years, the costs have skyrocketed especially in the European countries and North America. At the same time, the costs of alternatives such as photovoltaics and wind power have significantly decreased.