AN INTEGRATED REGIONAL APPROACH TO RISK MANAGEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL-SYSTEMS

This article outlines an integrated approach to judging and managing the risk of new technologies having an impact over wide geographical regions and/or wide time horizons. It explores a possible way to do this in an open, transparent manner with public participation at key stages. Building on the traditional approach of ''public inquiries'' used successfully in some countries, the authors consider the problems of integrating the technical, economic, social, political, and ethical dimensions and the importance of having an easily understood and quantifiable index for equating true risks with true benefits. Finally, it is suggested that such international efforts now under way to manage regional risks be brought within an International Institute of Global Risk Assessment.