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Abstract
Disagreements inevitably arise over the possibilities and policies of sustainability. In contrast to approaches that pursue political consensus this article argues that such disagreement is not a matter of a clash with ignorant or immoral perspectives, but should rather be understood as irreducible political conflict that plays a valuable role in engendering social and technological transformation. Focusing particularly upon the contestation over nuclear energy, it challenges eco-modernist claims that technological innovation can bypass political disagreement and smoothly facilitate the shift to a more sustainable form of life in an era of ecological crisis. The article advocates an “ecological agonistic” approach that refuses to regard such contestation as an impediment to robust and radical transformation. Instead, it suggests that the conflicts over nuclear energy reveal the limitations and lacunae of existing social, economic, and political institutions and thus can be understood as themselves playing a salutary role in their transformation.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the special issue editors Ariana Goetz, Boris Gotchev and Ina Richter, the three anonymous peer reviewers and the Editor, Maurie Cohen, for their extremely helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 Transcript of statement announcing the use of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima available at https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/august-6-1945-statement-president-announcing-use-bomb.
3 The Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy is a constituent body of the International Commission on Stratigraphy.
5 For more on the process of nuclear fission, see the website of the MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory at https://nrl.mit.edu/reactor/fission-process.
6 The objectives of the Harmony Programme are evinced by a recent statement noting that “[a]n increased share of low-carbon sources, as well as a drastically reduced level of fossil fuels, work together in harmony to secure a reliable, affordable and clean future energy supply 24 hours a day.” See details of the Harmony Programme” at https://www.world-nuclear.org/focus/energy-needs-and-requirements/the-harmony-programme.aspx.
8 These claims are taken from the “Nuclear Power in Japan” webpage of the WNA at https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-g-n/japan-nuclear-power.aspx. See also Japan's “Strategic Energy Plan 2018” (English translation) at https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2018/pdf/0703_002c.pdf.
9 See the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) website at https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/nuclear-accidents-fact-sheet.
10 See further information about radioactive waste management on the WNA website at https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-wastes/radioactive-waste-management.aspx.
11 See the International Atomic Energy Agency website at https://www.iaea.org/topics/spent-fuel-management.
12 See the BBC website at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7292252.stm
15 See the CND anti-nuclear power campaign at https://cnduk.org/campaigns/no-nuclear-power/.