Viewpoint: Yes, radiation waste from fission reactors can be safely stored using existing technical expertise and drawing on the experience of test facilities that are already in operation.

Viewpoint: No, radiation waste from fission reactors cannot be safely stored, given the ever-present danger of human error and natural catastrophe during the thousands of years in which the waste must be stored.

The development of human societies has been characterized by an ever-increasing demand for energy. Until the industrial revolution this meant the muscle power of humans and animals, augmented by wind and flowing water for limited applications such as sailing and milling. Fuels—wood and sometimes coal—were burned for warmth but not for mechanical work.

With the invention of the steam engine, the energy content of wood and coal became available...