Socio-environmental conflicts and nuclear energy: Peace Research perpspectives

Abstract

Over the last years the debate about nuclear energy has been renewed. This option has reemerged as a «clean energy», due to the no emission of greenhouse gases during the power plant operation. Nevertheless, there still remain some controversial aspects about it: the uncertainty about the radioactive waste management, including reprocessing; the environmental problems of uranium mining; or the health and safety risks for workers in nuclear facilities. These issues constitute a complex and conflictive scene, and represent the main arguments of antinuclear and ecologist opposition. This article addresses the identification of the different environmental conflicts regarding the whole life cycle of nuclear energy. In so doing, its main objective is to contribute to enlight the debate about the environmental problems around the nuclear energy, through different proposals from the Peace Research field.