Psychological Perspectives on the Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste and Carbon Dioxide

Abstract

Public acceptability of risky technologies is not only related to the objective risks involved, but to a number of subjective factors as well. Therefore, various studies examined psychological factors related to acceptability judgements. In this chapter we demonstrate the relevance of psychological factors that contribute to the explanation of the acceptability of radioactive waste disposal and carbon dioxide (CO2) disposal technologies. The acceptability of CO2 disposal has received far less attention in psychological studies than the acceptability of radioactive waste disposal, and therefore we have made an assessment of possible psychological determinants based on research on the acceptability of the latter. We conclude that the acceptability of CO2 disposal may be explained by similar factors to those influencing the acceptability of radioactive waste disposal, i.e. risk characteristics (dread and the unknown), affect, values and worldviews, fairness and trust. We argue that these psychological factors are directly related to the acceptability of CO2 disposal as well as indirectly, via the perceived risks and benefits of CO2 disposal. Furthermore, we discuss group differences (i.e. lay versus experts, and cross-cultural differences) in acceptability of radioactive waste disposal and, again, translate these results for possible consequences in psychological research in the area of the acceptability of geological disposal of CO2. Finally, we integrate the psychological factors into a conceptual model and discuss the limitations of current research, future research directions and policy implications for the acceptability of both types of technologies.