Risk or trust? Lecture on radioactive waste in Hanover!

Risk or trust? Lecture on radioactive waste in Hanover!

On March 12, 2025 at 8:30 p.m. an event will take place at the Xplanatorium Herrenhausen in Hanover that will deal with a current and highly relevant topic: the storage of radioactive waste. Under the title “No risk?! – Between risk and trust when storing radioactive waste” Prof. Dr. Clemens Walther and Dr. Wolfgang Schulz from the Institute for Radioecology and Radiation Protection at Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) will give a lecture. Admission to this event is free and no registration is required, although media representatives are recommended to register informally at presse@volkswagenstiftung.de. Entry begins at 7:30 p.m. and it is important to note that seat reservations are not possible.

The lecture series is part of the “Herrenhausen Late” program, which is aimed at a younger audience and aims to make science accessible in a relaxed lounge atmosphere. This type of event is intended to stimulate discussion about the risk-benefit assessment of radioactive waste storage, a topic that is often viewed with suspicion in society. Radioactive waste is currently stored in 16 above-ground interim storage facilities in Germany, and the need for a long-term storage facility is undisputed.

Focus on risk and trust

The lecture will particularly address the public's risk perception and trust in relation to the storage of radioactive materials. There are often concerns and fears in society, which are reinforced by a lack of information and transparency. Walther and Schulz will shed light on the current situation and try to establish a dialogue between science and the public.

The event is also in the context of the Science Year 2025, which was announced by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research under the theme “Future Energy”. In this context, the LUH is planning numerous lecture and dialogue events to discuss the challenges and opportunities of future energy supply.

Insights into waste management

In addition to the information from the LUH, there is an in-depth context from waste management as documented in the reports of the Waste Management Commission. These reports highlight the challenges and solutions in the area of ​​radioactive waste that could be addressed by the speakers during the lecture in Hanover. Ensuring that publicly available information on radioactive waste management is clear, informative and well-founded is of utmost importance for public acceptance.

In the discussion about the storage of radioactive waste, it is essential to make the risk-risk assessment transparent and to win the trust of the public. This is also illustrated using the example of the challenges and proposed solutions that must be considered within the framework of the legal requirements of the Circular Economy Act (KrWG) and the Radiation Protection Act (StrSchG), as described on the IWU (Institute for Economic Environmental Protection Technologies) website.

Information about the event as well as other initiatives and programs in the context of future energy can be found on the LUH website available.