ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. The part describes the perennial dilemma of nuclear facility siting. It highlights key tensions in how participation and democracy are being enacted and scaled at the front end and back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. The part examines many of the concerns of shale gas development, a newly refined approach that coaxes natural gas out of formations previously considered uneconomic. It addresses issues of place attachment and landscape change in the United Kingdom (UK) 'dash for gas', as natural gas is being substituted for coal. The part highlights issues of environmental injustice that dominate the development of the huge lignite mines underlying villages a few dozen miles northwest of Prague. It analyzes the varying discourses and practices of local stakeholders in the context of hydroelectric developments.
