| Issue |
Radioprotection
Volume 55, May 2020
Enhancing stakeholder participation in the governance of radiological risks for improved radiation protection and informed decision making. Key results of the European research project ENGAGE
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | S249 - S253 | |
| Section | CITIZEN SCIENCE | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/radiopro/2020041 | |
| Published online | 19 May 2020 | |
Article
Changing perspectives: tracing the evolution of citizen radiation measuring organizations after Fukushima
1
SCKCEN – Belgian Nuclear Research Centre,
Boeretang 200,
Mol, Belgium
2
Centre for Sociological Research (CeSO), KU Leuven,
Parkstraat 45,
Leuven, Belgium
* Corresponding author: joke.kenens@kuleuven.be
Although bottom-up citizen science in the field of radiation monitoring is not a new phenomenon, the organizations established in the wake of the Fukushima accident exceed preceding organizations in numbers, in space and in data production. Almost 10 years after the Fukushima nuclear accident, citizen radiation measuring organizations continue their activities stressing the importance of transparency, education and participation, despite the issues they are facing. Drawing on research on citizen science and results from fieldwork conducted in Japan, this paper reflects on the evolution of grassroots citizen science initiatives, contrasting their activities in the immediate aftermath of the Fukushima disaster to present day. By showing how some organizations have grown and others faded away, it demonstrates the intertwining and flexibility of citizen science initiatives in addressing concerns and needs expressed by local communities.
Key words: Fukushima nuclear accident / bottom-up citizen science / post-disaster recovery
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences 2020
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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