10 January 2007, Minatec

Conclusion of French public debates on nanotechnologies: a responsible development is needed

Series of public debates organised in Grenoble by Vivagora (a French association dedicated to public debates on scientific topics) at the end of 2006 totalised 700 people during 5 debates to discuss benefits and risks of nanotechnologies. Their recommendations, addressed to all actors of nanotechnologies relate to the need, amongst others, for reflection, dialogue, standardization.

A five pages report summarizes various recommendations according to their target.

Recommendations addressed to academics actors based on reflection, dialogue and responsibility:
1 Formation. Give tools to scientists to formulate a reflection on global nanosciences stakes with for example formations on human sciences (philosophy, sociology, politics).
2 Promote interdisciplinary groups. Create reflection comities to make researchers confront their point of view, questions around current scientific choices.
3 Share and diversification of knowledge
4 Establish dialogue with public in order to integrate societal preoccupations in strategic decisions
5 Create a platform of watch on sanitary risks
6 Transparency of links with industry and military sector

Recommendations addressed to industrials based on responsibility, transparency and normalization:
7 Responsible developments of companies. Take care of risks associated to their products and their becoming (recycling) and promote the information share about risks with industrials and public.
8 Finance impacts studies by a “toxicological tax” on nanoproducts
9 Establish standards (Afnor, ISO)

Recommendations addressed to associations based on animation and cooperation:
10 Pursue the mobilization of people during the debate to create a perennial community of debate.
11 Cooperation by the creation of collectives gathering actors from environmental association, associations of individual liberties protection in order to face the transversal character of nanotechnologies
12 Create alternative expertise that can be integrated to politics and strategic debates.

Recommendations addressed to politics based on coherence, transparency, independence, watch and partnership:
13 Create a database of all kind of information on nanotechnologies available for public.
14 Assure transparency of decision-making processes
15 Create an informative public service independent of the scientific community.
16 Increase the integration of social and environmental evaluations to take decisions.
17 Give financial means for associative expertises.
18 Establish recurrent public debates and dialogues.

More information:

http://www.minatec.com/index0.htm

Last changed: 10 January 2007

Comment on this news

Carlos Aguirre, 12 January 2007

A valuable news for public policy makers.