The social responsibility of nuclear energy

Abstract

Interest in the concept of Social Responsibility (SR) has increased recently. Continuing advances in the pace of innovative science and information technology development, growing competition in the world's markets, economic globalization and harsh criticism from communities have all drawn attention to the behavior of different organizations. As a way of drawing global attention to the fulfillment of SR, the goal of coexistence assumes an increasingly significant role from the standpoint of sustainable development of organizations and society. This implies that SR involves two responsibilities: the primary responsibility being an obligation to society, and the secondary responsibility being a positive contribution to society. Seen from the same perspective, Nuclear Energy (NE) is expected to make a positive contribution to the advancement of society and to encourage a safety culture that prevents serious accidents while also encouraging the sound development of organizations and society. (“Society” includes the environment and the economy, with the same sense as a “triple bottom line”.) Considering the Social Responsibility of Nuclear Energy (NSR) from these points-of-view, NE should coexist with multiple stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between NE and society, to define a framework for problem-solving, and finally to suggest changes in NSR as a whole.