scholarly journals Public Acceptance of ITER-Tokamak Fusion Power

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 8-12
Author(s):  
Robert L. Hirsch ◽  
Roger H. Bezdek
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Electric Utilities ◽  
Public Acceptance ◽  
Environmental Groups ◽  
Fusion Power ◽  
The Public ◽  
Fission Power ◽  
Nuclear Processes ◽  
Very High ◽  
The U.S

One of the U.S. Electric Power Research Institute’s criteria for practical fusion power is public acceptance. In this analysis we consider the potential public acceptance of ITER-tokamak fusion power. Because ITER-like reactors are not likely to be commercially ready before mid-century, a forecast of public acceptance is very difficult. We break “the public” down into four entities: 1) Rank and file consumers, 2) Governments [local, state, & federal including regulators], 3) NGOs including environmental groups, and 4) Electric utilities. We assert that ITER-tokamaks will be evaluated in the context of fission power because both are nuclear processes. We observe that ITER-tokamak fusion will present radioactive hazards and be extremely expensive. Three possible futures for fission nuclear mid-century are: 1) full acceptance, 2) middling acceptance, and 3) rejection. If fission power is accepted mid-century, then ITER-tokamak fusion stands the best chance of being publicly acceptable, its largest drawback being very high cost. If fission power is of middling acceptance, then ITER-tokamak fusion might be marginally more acceptable because of its much shorter life radioactive waste. If fission power is unacceptable, then ITER-tokamak fusion acceptance will be very difficult.  

The Public Acceptance of New Energy Technologies

Daedalus ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger E. Kasperson ◽  
Bonnie J. Ram
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Energy System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Acceptance ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Gasoline Prices ◽  
The Public ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
New Energy ◽  
The U.S

In the wake of ominous results about the impending path of climate change, and with gasoline prices hovering around four dollars per gallon, the 2012 presidential and congressional campaigns are full of claims and counterclaims about the transformation of the U.S. energy system. Although much discussion has centered on the need for new energy technologies, this debate as yet has been narrow and limited. Meaningful deployment of any technology will raise questions of public acceptance. Little is known about how diverse publics in the United States will respond to the advent of new energy sources, whether they involve a “second renaissance” for nuclear power, a dash to embrace hydraulic fracking for oil and natural gas, or emerging prospects for renewable energies like wind and solar power. Yet public acceptance will determine the outlook. Adding further complication is the growing debate about traditional energy sources and the extent to which a fossil fuel – based energy system should continue to be central to the American economy. This essay explores the issues involved in public acceptance of stability and change in the U.S. energy system. We conclude with several recommendations for gaining a greater understanding of the public acceptance quandary.

A Radio Toxicity Index for Fusion Waste

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Di Pace ◽  
Antonio Natalizio
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Power Industry ◽  
Earth’S Crust ◽  
Fusion Power ◽  
Toxicity Index ◽  
Fusion Breeder ◽  
Fission Power ◽  
Earth's Crust

With current designs of future fusion power plants, it is evident that a significant quantity of operational radioactive waste will be produced over the lifetime of the plant. This waste will be mostly due to the replacement of in-vessel components (IVCs) on a regular basis, currently assumed to be every five years. This potentially large quantity of waste raises issues about its ultimate disposal, particularly the nature of the disposal facility required to accommodate it. The term invessel component includes the divertor and the breeding blanket, the “fuel” in a fusion reactor. In this perspective only, the waste resulting from IVC replacement is analogous to the fuel waste arising from fission power plants, and this comparison, whether justified, or not, could prejudice the fusion waste disposal solution. As fusion in-vessel component waste is significantly and fundamentally different from fission reactor fuel waste, it is essential that the fusion disposal solution be based solely on its needs. To highlight this fundamental difference between the fusion and fission operational waste, a radio toxicity index has been defined, which may prove to be of value in defining appropriate requirements for the disposal of fusion operational waste. Uranium has been the basis of the fission power industry and it is found in nature in concentrations varying, typically, from 0.1 to 1%, and in some cases ore bodies with concentrations up to 25% have been found. Because uranium is a radioactive element, and is quite common in the earth’s crust, it offers an opportunity to be used as a benchmark for comparing potential fusion and fission power reactor radioactive waste. As U-238 is the most abundant isotope of uranium found in nature (>99%), it is proposed that the radio toxicity of U-238 be used to assess the relative radio toxicity of relevant fusion and fission waste. The ratio of the radio toxicity of a given material to that of U-238 is referred to as the radio toxicity index. Therefore, a waste material with a radio toxicity index equal to one would be considered acceptable for disposal in the earth’s crust, in the same manner that uranium tailings are disposed of in the mining industry. The results of studies performed for typical fusion breeder material indicate that there is no compelling economic reason for reprocessing. Furthermore, the radio toxicity index for such materials indicates that there are no technical reasons — i.e., there does not appear to be a need for deep, geological disposal of spent fusion breeder material. On the contrary, the application of the radio toxicity index to spent fission fuel has demonstrated, from a waste disposal perspective, that there are compelling reasons for reprocessing to separate low radio toxicity fission products from the high radio toxicity actinides, which can be reused. This conclusion augurs well for a future fusion power industry and goes a significant distance in demonstrating the potential environmental advantages of fusion power.

scholarly journals Becoming a Movement Society? Patterns in the Public Acceptance of Protest, 1985 - 2006

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soon Seok Park ◽  
Rachel Einwohner
Keyword(s):  
Social Movement ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Cohort Analysis ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Cohort Effect ◽  
Public Acceptance ◽  
Social Location ◽  
Period Effect ◽  
The Public ◽  
The U.S

A social movement society refers to a society in which protest is a standard, institutionalized feature of the political landscape. Is the U.S. steadily becoming such a society? Whereas other empirical tests of the movement society thesis have focused on political tactics and individual participation in protest, we point to the public’s attitudes as another indicator of the movement society. Using General Social Survey data, we find that the public has grown more accepting of protest with time. In addition, using indicators of social location, social engagement, and political engagement as predictors, we find that while these factors help explain support for protest, their effects vary depending on the type of protest in question. Age, education, gender, income, employment status, and political interest all affect the acceptance of public meetings and demonstrations; however, the effect of income is reversed when it comes to the acceptance of a nationwide strike. Lastly, an age-period-cohort analysis finds evidence that a period effect is greater than a cohort effect in changing attitudes over time. Taken together, these findings support the claim that broad, societal-level influences have contributed to the public acceptance of protest, which is suggestive of a social movement society. Yet while the U.S. may constitute a social movement society, it is one with clear boundaries: individuals do support protest, but only to the extent that it does not disrupt the material advantages associated with their social location.

Voting at the U.S. Constitutional Convention

2019 ◽  
pp. 780-796
Author(s):  
Keith L. Dougherty
Keyword(s):  
Public Choice ◽  
Constitutional Convention ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Choice Perspective ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The U.S

This chapter describes how the public-choice perspective has provided new insights into the U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787. It reviews articles on the impact of the rules of the Convention, attempts to infer delegate votes, and reviews how public choice has helped us understand the adoption of various clauses in the Constitution and studies of the Beard thesis.

scholarly journals A Panel Evaluation of the Changes in the General Public’s Social-Media-Following of United States’ Public Health Departments during COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272199545
Author(s):  
Areej Khokhar ◽  
Aaron Spaulding ◽  
Zuhair Niazi ◽  
Sikander Ailawadhi ◽  
Rami Manochakian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
State Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Health Department ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
The Social ◽  
The U.S

Importance: Social media is widely used by various segments of society. Its role as a tool of communication by the Public Health Departments in the U.S. remains unknown. Objective: To determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social media following of the Public Health Departments of the 50 States of the U.S. Design, Setting, and Participants: Data were collected by visiting the Public Health Department web page for each social media platform. State-level demographics were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention was utilized to collect information regarding the Governance of each State’s Public Health Department. Health rankings were collected from “America’s Health Rankings” 2019 Annual report from the United Health Foundation. The U.S. News and World Report Education Rankings were utilized to provide information regarding the public education of each State. Exposure: Data were pulled on 3 separate dates: first on March 5th (baseline and pre-national emergency declaration (NED) for COVID-19), March 18th (week following NED), and March 25th (2 weeks after NED). In addition, a variable identifying the total change across platforms was also created. All data were collected at the State level. Main Outcome: Overall, the social media following of the state Public Health Departments was very low. There was a significant increase in the public interest in following the Public Health Departments during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: With the declaration of National Emergency, there was a 150% increase in overall public following of the State Public Health Departments in the U.S. The increase was most noted in the Midwest and South regions of the U.S. The overall following in the pandemic “hotspots,” such as New York, California, and Florida, was significantly lower. Interesting correlations were noted between various demographic variables, health, and education ranking of the States and the social media following of their Health Departments. Conclusion and Relevance: Social media following of Public Health Departments across all States of the U.S. was very low. Though, the social media following significantly increased during the early course of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it still remains low. Significant opportunity exists for Public Health Departments to improve social media use to engage the public better.

scholarly journals Agenda-setting and Public Policy in Private Foundations

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Kate Williamson ◽  
Belinda Luke
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Agenda Setting ◽  
Public Communication ◽  
Philanthropic Foundations ◽  
Policy Influence ◽  
The Public ◽  
Private Foundations ◽  
Social Causes ◽  
The U.S

AbstractThis paper examines advocacy, agenda-setting and the public policy focus of private philanthropic foundations in Australia. While concerns have been raised regarding advocacy and public policy influence of foundations in countries such as the U.S., less is understood on this issue in other contexts. Interviews were conducted with 11 managers and trustees of 10 Private Ancillary Funds (PAFs) in late 2014. Analysis of publicly available data on the participating PAFs was then undertaken comparing PAF information available at the time of the interviews with that available approximately five years later, to consider any changes in the public communication of their agendas. Findings reveal PAFs’ agendas were largely consistent with public policy but may vary in the approaches to address social causes. Further, a preference for privacy indicates the PAF sector may be characterised as ‘quiet philanthropy’ rather than having a visible public presence. As such, PAFs’ advocacy focused on promoting philanthropy, rather than altering or influencing public policy. Our main contention is that the conceptions of advocacy in structured philanthropy are dominated by the obvious, the outliers and the noisy. Our contribution to the philanthropic literature is a more nuanced and broader discussion of how advocacy and agenda-setting occurs and is understood in the mainstream.

scholarly journals Social Acceptance for Commercialization of Genetically Modified Food Animals

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ziyao Fan ◽  
Yulian Mu ◽  
Tad Sonstegard ◽  
Xiaomei Zhai ◽  
Kui Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Variation ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Genetically Modified ◽  
Genetically Modified Food ◽  
The Public ◽  
Global Challenge ◽  
Social License ◽  
Food Animals ◽  
Natural Mutation ◽  
The U.S

Abstract Genetically modified food animals (GMFAs) are needed to address early the cumulative effects of livestock production on the environment and to accommodate future food demands. In 2020 China and the U.S., the world's two largest economies, embarked on regulatory reforms to boost the commercialization of such animals. However, gaining social acceptance of GMFAs for commercialization remains a global challenge. We propose a framework that focuses on social license for commercialization of GMFAs by defining four classes of improvement using precision genetics: 1) animals equivalent to natural variation to obtain the improved effect of cross-breeding (ENV); 2) animals with an inactivated gene that could occur via natural mutation (ENC-); 3) animals harboring a natural genetic sequence isolated from another species (ENC+); and 4) animals with synthetic sequences encoding novel genes (BNE). Our approach can guide regulators and the public to support orderly commercialization of genetically modified food animals.

Party Messaging in the U.S. House of Representatives

2021 ◽  
pp. 106591292110297
Author(s):  
Tyler Hughes ◽  
Gregory Koger
Keyword(s):  
House Of Representatives ◽  
Voting Behavior ◽  
Policy Debate ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Substantive Content ◽  
Legislative Agenda ◽  
The Media ◽  
Party Members ◽  
The U.S

Both Congressional parties compete to promote their own reputations while damaging the opposition party’s brand. This behavior affects both policy-making agendas and the party members’ communications with the media and constituents. While there has been ample study of partisan influence on legislative agenda-setting and roll call voting behavior, much less is known about the parties’ efforts to shape the public debate. This paper analyzes two strategic decisions of parties: the timing of collective efforts to influence the public policy debate and the substantive content of these “party messaging” events. These dynamics are analyzed using a unique dataset of 50,195 one-minute speeches delivered on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 to 2016. We find a pattern of strategic matching—both parties are more likely to engage in concurrent messaging efforts, often on the same issue.

scholarly journals The Voyage of Metals in the Universe from Cosmological to Planetary Scales: the need for a Very High-Resolution, High Throughput Soft X-ray Spectrometer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Nicastro ◽  
J. Kaastra ◽  
C. Argiroffi ◽  
E. Behar ◽  
S. Bianchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
High Resolution Spectroscopy ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Viable Solution ◽  
Surrounding Space ◽  
Nuclear Processes ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Very High

AbstractMetals form an essential part of the Universe at all scales. Without metals we would not exist, and the Universe would look completely different. Metals are primarily produced via nuclear processes in stars, and spread out through winds or explosions, which pollute the surrounding space. The wanderings of metals in-and-out of astronomical objects are crucial in determining their own evolution and thus that of the Universe as a whole. Detecting metals and assessing their relative and absolute abundances and energetics can thus be used to trace the evolution of these cosmic components. The scope of this paper is to highlight the most important open astrophysical problems that will be central in the next decades and for which a deep understanding of the Universe’s wandering metals, their physical and kinematical states, and their chemical composition represents the only viable solution. The majority of these studies can only be efficiently performed through High Resolution Spectroscopy in the soft X-ray band.

scholarly journals Extending the Coverage of the Trust–Acceptability Model: The Negative Effect of Trust in Government on Nuclear Power Acceptance in South Korea under a Nuclear Phase-Out Policy

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3343
Author(s):  
Seungkook Roh ◽  
Hae-Gyung Geong
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Public Acceptance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Trust In Government ◽  
The Public ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Nuclear Phase ◽  
Phase Out

This article extends the coverage of the trust–acceptability model to a new situation of nuclear phase-out by investigating the effect of trust on the public acceptance of nuclear power, with South Korea as the research setting. Through the structural equation modeling of a nationwide survey dataset from South Korea, we examined the effects of the public’s trust in the various actors related to nuclear power on their perceptions of the benefits and risks of nuclear power and their acceptance of nuclear power. Contrary to previous studies’ findings, in South Korea, under a nuclear phase-out policy by the government, trust in government revealed a negative impact on the public acceptance of nuclear power. Trust in environmental non-governmental groups also showed a negative effect on nuclear power acceptance. In contrast, trust in nuclear energy authority and trust in nuclear academia both had positive effects. In all cases, the effect of a trust variable on nuclear power acceptance was at least partially accounted for by the trust’s indirect effects through benefit perception and risk perception. These findings strengthen the external validity of the trust–acceptability model and provide implications for both researchers and practitioners.

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