Trgovska Gora nuclear waste study highlights ecological injustice

A new scientific study published in the international journal ‘Sustainability’ examines the ecological justice implications of a planned nuclear waste repository on Trgovska Gora. The research, titled ‘Ecological injustice in the dispute over the location of transboundary radioactive waste: Implications for social sustainability in border communities of BiH’, was released by the University of Banja Luka.

The study focuses on the perspectives of residents in communities located outside the country where formal decisions regarding the facility are made. According to the findings, 82.3% of respondents believe it is unjust to plan a radioactive waste repository near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, 83.9% of participants support the formal right of border community residents in BiH to participate in decision-making processes, asserting that their views should be considered regardless of national borders.

The research also highlights concerns regarding transparency, with 80.2% of respondents characterizing the site selection process as non-transparent and exclusionary for potentially affected communities. This study is noted as one of the first systematic empirical investigations into the perceptions of local populations regarding the planned long-term storage of low- and medium-level radioactive waste at the Čerkezovac site in Croatia.