Radioactive waste, at the IAEA International Conference the priority is sustainability while ensuring safety
Radioactive waste, at the IAEA International Conference the priority is sustainability while ensuring safety
The "International Conference on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, Decommissioning, Environmental Protection and Remediation: Ensuring Safety and Enabling Sustainability", held at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concluded today in Vienna. The event brought together a broad representation of international organisations, national regulators, industrial and civil society stakeholders. ISIN participated on behalf of the Italian State, in compliance with its functions and tasks envisaged by the art. 6 of Legislative Decree no. 45/2014.
The international conference was organized by the IAEA, in collaboration with the European Commission, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA ) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
The Conference gave the opportunity to discuss the interrelationships between safety and sustainability in the safe management of radioactive waste, in the dismantling of nuclear plants and in the cleanup of contaminated areas. The objective was also to identify practical approaches for the necessary integration into decision-making processes of the factors that contribute to environmental, social and economic sustainability. The reflection carried out during the work testifies to a real paradigm shift which consists in considering sustainability as a priority in the management of radioactive waste and in related activities, in implementation of the objectives established by the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development of the United Nations and, more specifically, of the 9 most relevant objectives in this sector according to the IAEA, putting the principles of the circular economy at the centre. Achieving these objectives by 2030 presents challenges and great opportunities on which Member States and the Agency must work, with the essential contribution of the Regulatory Authorities and the necessary involvement of stakeholders, some of whom are already engaged in the development of tools dedicated to the optimization of processes and innovative technologies.
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