New threats require a rapid state response

Panel participants at the BfS Radiation Protection Forum Source: bundesfoto/Laurin Schmid

The energy crisis, climate crisis, floods, forest fires, and nuclear threats from the war in Ukraine pose major challenges for politics and society. The state must be able to respond quickly and scientifically to new, simultaneous threats. This was emphasised by Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment on Wednesday in Berlin. Dr Inge Paulini, President of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) says that "public authorities must be able to respond to multiple crises in a well-coordinated manner."

At the BfS Radiation Protection Forum at the Environmental Forum, the two discussed "Resilience in the multi-crisis" with experts and politicians.

Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment Source: bundesfoto/Laurin Schmid

Lemke also described the nuclear phase-out as the right decision in view of Germany's resilience in crises. "It was the reactor accident in Fukushima that led to the final decision in Germany to phase out nuclear energy." Nuclear power plants in Ukraine are now at the centre of armed conflicts. "The decision to abandon this technology therefore remains the right one."

Overall, Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has given rise to new scenarios in the context of emergency response.

Germany needs strong radiation research, says Paulini

She emphasised that radiation protection is closely linked to other important issues for the future such as disaster and civil protection, the energy transition (power grids), and the climate crisis, which increases the risk of UV-related skin cancer. "Germany needs a well-equipped emergency response system that is regularly taken into account in the new developments in civil protection", says Paulini.

"We also need strong radiation research in order to guarantee the high level of protection in Germany in the long term:"

BfS President Inge Paulini Source: bundesfoto/Laurin Schmid

The scientific findings must be presented to people as understandably as possible. "We also want to reach people who have little to do with the technical aspects of radiation protection or who are unfamiliar with them. That's because radiation is everywhere. This means that we have to communicate our scientific findings in such a way that the information reaches the population", says Paulini.

Link to the Radiation Protection Forum: www.bfs.de/strahlenschutzforum-resilienz