Introduction

Since the late 1960s with regard to environmental matters, and since oil rose dramatically in 1973/74 with regard to energy matters, the interlocking problems of energy and the environment have been at the centre of the stage both in national politics and international relations. Not only are these issues frequent items of front-page news, but many extraparliamentary groups have established themselves with the object of defending the public at large, or individual communities, from perceived threats in the form of safety and environmental and health hazards. Much of the attention of these ‘environmentalist’ or ‘citizen’ groups has focused on proposed or existing energy supply developments, most notably and vigorously in the case of civil nuclear power programmes, especially in France and Germany. Although isolated and small-scale examples can be found from the past (for example, the building of the railways and the fluoridation of drinking water), public opposition on the scale — and in the breadth of its concerns — that has been manifested in relation to nuclear power is a new and important phenomenon. Parliamentarians have the difficult responsibility of grasping the technically complex issues, of coming to terms with public concern, informing and leading public opinion, and of reaching political decisions of considerable long-term importance.