Themes

The societal management of the areas in focus and other risk related areas means taking into account scientific investigations, local perspectives, societal values and various risk management principles. In order to give some clues to abstract submitters and to the structure to the Symposium we have indicated the following CROSS CUTTING THEMES that papers may address:

The interface between risk assessment and risk management - the role of expertise

Risk assessments deal with science and technical methods are being used. However, in political and societal risk management, the results of risk assessments are only one part of all the aspects that have to be taken into account. Expertise often plays a key role in political and societal decisions. The question then is: what are the boundaries of expert responsibility?

The role of risk perception and value judgement in risk management

From a societal perspective, the management of risk includes taking not only the technical risk assessment but also the perceptions of various risks and citizen values into account. The Symposium will explore various ways to do this.

Risk management and democracy
– the role of public participation

Public participation is widely seen as a means to take into account the different aspects of risk in the decision making processes. However, there are many models for public participation. Furthermore, different ideas for participation correlate with different models of democracy. VALDOR will put the democratic aspects of risk management on the agenda.

The precautionary principle

The precautionary principle exists in many versions as a method for risk management. One version, adopted in the Rio Declaration, is that when there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation. The conference organizers want to evaluate the use of the precautionary principle by raising issues of practical, philosophical and legal nature.

Community environmental justice in risk management

Risk management, whether related to controversial facilities or the quotidian planning and response to disasters, involves a policy development and decision-making process that affects and is influenced by locally bounded communities (e.g. municipalities) as well as communities of interest (e.g. the business community and the anti-nuclear community). Environmental justice is only possible when all community perspectives are valued and incorporated into the risk management decision-making process. This raises issues of fairness such providing adequate resources for communities and ensuring equitable and fair socio-economic and political contexts.