Background
Since the publication of the most recent ICRP recommendations in 2007 the pace of change in global socio-economic challenges and environmental degradation has accelerated. We face climate, biodiversity and pollution emergencies as well as global health crises such as COVID-19 and increases in non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer. It is important that the system of radiological protection provides for an appropriate level of human and environmental protection overall without unduly limiting desirable human actions and without adversely affecting sustainable development or resulting in unintended consequences. To address these issues, there has been increasing interest in incorporating ecosystem services monitoring and assessment in many contexts related to environmental protection and policy making. Ecosystem services are defined as the benefits humankind derives from the workings of the natural world, i.e., from ecosystems, and are crucial in human life for example by providing nutritious food and clean water; by regulating disease and climate; by supporting crop pollination and soil formation, and by offering recreational, cultural, and spiritual benefits. The assessment of ecosystem services, whether those services are regulating, supporting, provisioning, or cultural, have the potential to support a holistic approach to environmental radiological protection as developed in ICRP Publication 124 (2014).
Mandate
This Task Group (TG) will explore and share knowledge on ecosystem services by providing background and general recommendations on how ecosystem services can support a holistic approach to environmental radiological protection (ERP) and, as specifically relevant to ERP, explore how the system of radiological protection contributes to the delivery of sustainable development. In doing so, the TG will conduct extensive literature review to ensure information provided is based on current socio-economic, environmental, scientific and ethics knowledge. Drawing from previous ICRP publications on ERP (notably Publication 124) and on ethics (Publication 138, 2018), this TG will work collaboratively with other relevant TGs (e.g., TG 98, 99, 105, 114 and others as deemed relevant) to ensure a consistent approach is proposed. The TG will:
Deliverables
The Task Group will develop a report for publication in Annals of the ICRP. This report will provide background information and clear definition of ecosystem services along with a discussion of if and how ecosystem services should be incorporated into a holistic approach to environmental radiological protection, including its relationship to sustainable development.
In addition, the Task Group will develop materials suitable for ICRPædia in collaboration with the Scientific Secretariat.
| Nicole Martinez (Chair), Clemson University, USA | ||
| Analia Canoba (Vice-Chair), Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear (ARN), Argentina | ||
| Karine Beaugelin-Seiller (Member), Institut de Radioprotection et de S�ret� Nucl�aire (IRSN), France | ||
| Sophie Beauquier (Member), IRSN, France | ||
| Julia Carpenter (Member), Australia | ||
| Sarah Donaher (Member), Clemson University, USA | ||
| Stanislav Geras’kin (Member), Russian Federation | ||
| Sakae Kinase (Member), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA)/ Ibaraki University, Japan | ||
| Phil Kruse (Member), United Kingdom | ||
| Nona Movsisyan (Member), Armenia | ||
| Marie Simon-Cornu (Member), IRSN, France | ||
| Aste Sovik (Member), Under Pelsen AS, Norway | ||
| Karolina Stark (Member), Sweden | ||
| Agustina Sterling (Member), Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (CSN), Spain | ||
| Wells Utembe (Member), Toxicology Department, National Institute for Occupational Health, South Africa | ||
| Jeffrey Whicker (Member), USA | ||
| Adrienne Ethier (Technical Secretary), Canada | ||
| Joanne Brown (Representative), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Austria |