title: Nuclear power debate and public opinion in Belarus: From Chernobyl to Ostrovets.
abstract: The Belarusian government's decision of the last decade to build a nuclear power plant near the city of Ostrovets, in northern Belarus, has proven to be controversial, resulting in a great deal of debate about nuclear energy in the country. The debate was inevitably shaped by the traumatic event that affected Belarus - the Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986. The Belarusian authorities have consistently promoted a positive view of nuclear energy to the population in order to overcome the so-called 'Chernobyl syndrome' and deliberately shaped nuclear risk communication. As a result, the issue of trust remains crucial in all nuclear debates in Belarus.
authors.affiliation: Northern Arizona University, USA.
authors.forename: Aliaksandr
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Novikau
mesh_terms: D047852:Chernobyl Nuclear Accident; D003142:Communication; D055848:Nuclear Power Plants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011057:Politics; D011639:Public Opinion; D002094:Republic of Belarus; D012306:Risk; D035502:Trust
keywords: Belarus; Chernobyl; nuclear energy; risk communication