European Nuclear Society

Not that long ago, during the dark days of the nuclear recession, public perceptions about nuclear energy were often largely conditioned by preconceived ideas and misconceptions. Unscientific rhetoric about nuclear had succeeded in banishing nuclear it to the fringes of the energy debate and maintaining its taboo status. Well, to quote Bob Dylan, “…the times they are a changing…. ” Nuclear energy is back at the top of the global political agenda. Even people who have always been unconditionally and ideologically opposed to nuclear energy cannot deny this fact. Today, they face a new foe that they have not faced in recent times – a confident and resurgent nuclear sector that is active at the very core of the debate. As the nuclear revival has gathered momentum public opinion in favour of nuclear energy has increased, as nuclear’s strong security of supply and climate change credentials have become more apparent. This has promoted a new spirit of pragmatism. Many sceptics and fence-sitters have been won over. The results of the latest Eurobarometer survey, entitled Attitudes towards Radioactive Waste, which was published by the European Commission at the beginning of July, testify to this