The Anatomy of a Brand: Shaping Nuclear Discourse to Create the Perception of a “Clean World”

Abstract We examine how over the past 25 years the Canadian nuclear industry has used various strategies to diminish or remove perceptions of any environmental health risks that emanate from its practice and activities. Using both industry and critical website materials, we demonstrate how the industry “removes” risk by emphasizing its own safety culture in a complex process, its green credentials, its role in producing local energy options, and the scientific ignorance of its critics, the suppression of opposing views, and a narrow risk assessment approach to potential environmental and health hazards in the marketing of a specific brand. We suggest that the same strategies are being used after the recent Japanese nuclear disaster.