FSC - Intergenerational connections in radioactive waste management: Involving children and youth

Adobe Acrobat PDF Document - on 9/21/22 at 10:42 AM
- Adobe Acrobat PDF Document on 10/27/21 at 11:08 AM

The Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) was established by the NEA Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) in 2000 and serves as a platform for understanding stakeholder dialogue and discussing methods to develop shared confidence, informed consent and approval of radioactive waste (RW) management solutions.

Science-based solutions that are safe and acceptable for future generations need to be developed for all the radioactive waste being produced. For the sake of this intergenerational solidarity, it is necessary to pay special attention to young people in working out decision-making processes lasting several decades. Indeed, today’s young people are tomorrow’s policymakers and they will have to take responsibility for the further management of radioactive waste.

For this reason, the FSC established, in 2019, a task group focused on youth involvement in radioactive waste management. This flyer, developed by the members of the task group, provides practical examples of how some countries are developing specific initiatives to involve young people in radioactive waste management, from informing and communicating to dialogue. The list of initiatives presented here is not exhaustive but seeks to provide inspiration to radioactive waste management organisations, nuclear authorities, federal organisations and schools. A distinction is made between age groups by educational level: elementary school (6-12 years), secondary school (12-18 years), university (18 years and up), and young adults.