Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) Across Generations
Final Report of the RK&M Initiative
Radioactive waste repositories are designed to isolate waste from the living environment
without human intervention over extended periods of time. Nevertheless, the intention
is not to abandon the repositories, but to provide the oversight that is necessary
to ensure that they are not forgotten by society. In response to this challenge, the
Nuclear Energy Agency launched the international initiative “Preservation of Records,
Knowledge and Memory (RK&M) Across Generations”. As a result, an in-depth understanding
of this issue was developed, as well as a specific methodology to address it. The
RK&M preservation toolbox, for example, offers a menu with 35 different preservation
mechanisms and guidelines on how to combine and implement them.
This report may be used as a general guide to the RK&M preservation topic. It presents
a historical review, addresses ethical considerations, analyses the fundamentals of
RK&M preservation, outlines various mechanisms and indicates how to develop these
mechanisms into a systemic RK&M preservation strategy. The report aims to inspire
and assist a variety of actors so that they can discuss and develop national and repository-specific
RK&M preservation strategies.
Published on March 24, 2020
In series:Radioactive Waste Managementview more titles