International Atomic Energy Agency

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1 International Atomic Energy Agency Background Guide The International Atomic energy Agency (IAEA) is the primary international organization devoted to ensuring the safe advancement and use of nuclear technology across the globe. Founded in 1957 as an organization independent of the United Nations through an international treaty, the organization still reports to both the General Assembly and the Security Council on issues pertaining to nuclear proliferation, technology, and use. The main function of the IAEA is to serve as a monitoring and reporting group for nuclear issues. To achieve this mission, the organization works directly with member states to ensure compliance with international law and promote best practices regarding the use of nuclear technology. I. Enhancing Safety and Security Strategies in the Realms of Radioactive Waste As long as we have had nuclear weapons, we have needed a long-term solution to radioactive material. Currently the world creates metric tons of nuclear waste each year, and has produced more than 76,430 metric tons of nuclear waste in the past four decades in the United States alone. 1 As of April 2017, 30 countries worldwide are operating 449 nuclear reactors for electricity generation and 60 new nuclear plants are under construction in 15 countries. 2 Each of these 449 nuclear reactors produces some 20 metric tons of nuclear fuel each year. 4 That s about 8980 metric tons of nuclear waste each year. However, what the nations have not accomplished since the creation of nuclear power is a way to properly store this waste. Many nations have tried and failed to come up with a politically and scientifically sound way to dispose of this waste. It is due to these issues that not a single nation that has nuclear weapons has a long-term storage facility up and running yet 3. It is even the case that short-term storage options have become passible in the eyes of many nations as a possible long-term storage solution or otherwise. This is partly because, nations realize that they need to store radioactive waste in a safe and secure area, but many times do not have the political will or support from their citizens to do so. The only nation that is in the process of having an available long-term storage facility in the near future is Finland at on an offshore island called Olkiluoto. 4 This facility is not yet operational; however it will be ready to 1 Nuclear Energy Institute, On-Site Storage of Nuclear Waste: Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste, Nuclear Energy Institute, World Statistics: Nuclear Energy Around the World, Broom, Rob. How France Is Disposing of Its Nuclear Waste. BBC News, BBC, 4 Mar. 2014, 4 Gibney, Elizabeth. Why Finland Now Leads the World in Nuclear Waste Storage. Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 2 Dec

2 receive radioactive waste for long-term storage in This would be the first long-term facility of its kind to be completed. This is quite shocking, because nations like France, the United States and the Russian Federation have much more radioactive waste than Finland, and one would expect nations that use the most uranium would be the most likely to be making the scientific advancements and take the necessary steps to combat such a lurking issue. This of course is not a new problem. The world has had radioactive waste since before the 1950 s, yet there has not been a realized solution to this issue more than 67 years later. 5 It was in 1957 that the United States decided that radioactive material had to be stored in an underground long-term facility and it took them almost four decades to finally come up with a proper facility to dispose of its radioactive waste. 3 The United States like many other nations in the world concluded that the best way to dispose of this waste was by placing it under the ground, like the Finnish facility, where it can sit for the thousands of years necessary for the radioactive waste to become safe. In the Case of the United States, they have a site called Yucca Mountain was chosen in 2002 by the Department of Energy and then after six more years of study the Department of Energy finally got the approval to create this facility. This site is much like the Finnish solution, where it places the radioactive waste far under the ground in a secure facility, and it would have been a long-term solution for the United States. However, Yucca Mountain would end up being closed down in 2010 by the Obama Administration. The site was closed down after political disapproval of the site, and now the Department of Energy is in the process of finding a new location for long-term storage of radioactive materials. 6 It should be noted that it is likely that the only reason that the Yucca Mountain site was closed down was for political reasons and not on an issue relating the security or safety of this facility. 4 It should also be noted that the county that the site was in was also not opposed to this facility, but rather supported it. 7 So it is quite interesting the representatives of the state of Nevada, and eventually the Obama Administration opposed Yucca Mountain. This however has not been an outlier in the international trend. This example clearly shows the international communities failure to dispose of radioactive material. Over the course of some 70 years, nations across the globe have failed to choose and construct long-term radioactive storage facilities. This is due to public disapproval as well as the disapproval of political organizations and leaders. When states neglect to find a comprehensive solution this issue they are determining that they will allow their short-term storage facilities to turn into long-term storage. Not only will these facilities eventually will not be able to properly store the radioactive waste, but by creating a policy that does not address the issue of long-term storage as most of the 5 Disposition of High-Level Radioactive Waste Through Geological Isolation: Development, Current Status, and Technical and Policy Challenges. 6 Northey, Hannah. GAO: Death of Yucca Mountain Caused by Political Maneuvering. The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 May Top 10 Facts About Yucca Mountain. Top 10 Facts About Yucca Mountain - Nuclear Energy Institute. 2

3 international community has accepted, citizens in each of their respective countries with radioactive waste have a higher possibility of being exposed to radiation. The overall expenses to keep these short-term storage facilities up to date, safe and secure also has a high cost. 8 Short-term storage facilities need to have regular maintenance, as well as around the clock supervision. While long-term radioactive waste disposal in facilities like the Finnish facility do not require as much supervision and maintenance, due the nature of the facilities are designed to be self-sufficient and last thousands of years without maintenance. While, most of the International community agrees that deep underground facilities are the ideal way to dispose of radioactive waste, the international community has been very slow in acting on the issues presented by radioactive waste disposal. While nations have put some effort in solving this issue, many have been met with resistance from political forces. If the international community does not come up with resolutions to solve the issue of radioactive waste soon, the world may start to see the consequences of inaction. Questions to consider: What has your nation done to dispose of nuclear waste? What radioactive waste does your country have to dispose of? What other possible solutions are out there to solve this issue? II. Reevaluating the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI) in the realms of Nuclear Power, Medicinal Purposes, and Infrastructure. The Peaceful Uses Initiative or PUI is a program that was established by the International Atomic Energy Agency in order to promote that peaceful uses of nuclear energy. By using extra-budgetary donations from the international community, the IAEA is able to create greater access to peaceful nuclear energy for all nations while staying environmentally responsible. 9 This initiative coincides well with the efforts of nations in the past including but not limited to: the United States and others with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that was created back in The goal of the international community in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty was to both stop the spread of nuclear weapons technology as well as to promote the peaceful uses that nuclear energy provides. 10 The IAEA aspires to use its Peaceful Uses Initiative to lead the international community in providing these peaceful uses of nuclear energy for purposes, but are not limited to: using nuclear medicine supplies to enhance training in the medical field, enhance infant and child 8 International Atomic Energy Agency, The Long Term Storage of Radioactive Waste: Safety and Stability, International Atomic energy Agency, Peaceful Uses Initiative. U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State. 10 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) UNODA. United Nations, United Nations. 3

4 nutrition, and combat cancer and Ebola, assist nations in power planning, infrastructure development, nuclear safety and developing clean sustainable water resources using isotope hydrology and small scale irrigation technology. 7 This plan also assesses climate change and nuclear impact on the environment. The Peaceful Uses Initiative also works towards achieving 8 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11. The Sustainable Development goals are the 17 goals that nations in the United Nations have agreed upon to try and accomplish by 2030 (aka 15 years). These goals try and protect the planet, end poverty and create prosperity for all people. 12 These goals are held to a high standard by most of the international community and it is very crucial that strives are made to reach these goals by Therefore, these steps by the IAEA, under their Peaceful Uses Initiative are very beneficial and supported by the international community. However, there are many places that this plan needs revisiting. One of the main concerns is there is not enough being done to support developing or underdeveloped nations. It is the case that developing nations and underdeveloped nations regularly do not have the capital necessary to start the process of transferring from coal and other non-renewable sources of energy to those of nuclear or other renewable energy. Not only is this the case in the field of nuclear power, but this is also the case in the lack of funds to start up infrastructure projects in the medicinal field as well. Without the proper resources many nations- particularly developing and underdeveloped nations will not receive the assistance from the IAEA to build facilities that house radiotherapy and nuclear medicine. This in turn leaves nations without tools that help fight cancer as well as other dieses. 13 This is a major issue, because developing and underdeveloped nations need the help from the IAEA much more than developed nations. Another issue that the Peaceful Uses Initiative has is that there is an issue with funding. While the Initiative does receive something like 100 million Euros in total annually, (50 Million that comes from the United States alone) 14 the lack of financial support from the international community prevents the Peaceful Uses Initiative from doing more work and creating more positive change. While it seems that the goals of the sustainable development plan line up with the goals of each of the nations within the United Nations, it doesn t seem like a lot of funds make their way into the IAEA for the purpose of using them for the Peaceful Uses Initiative. While the Peaceful Uses Initiative strives to help create positive change in the world, it lacks the financial and political support of the international community to make a lot of lasting change. The Peaceful Uses Initiative works towards 8 of the 17 Sustainable Developing goals by, 11 U.S. Mission to International Organizations, U.S. Support for UN Sustainable Development Goals Through the IAEA Peaceful Uses Initiative, June 16, United Nations, Sustainable Development Goals. 13 International Atomic Energy Agency, Making Nuclear More Effective in Support of Sustainable Development: Conclusions of the 2016 Scientific Forum, September 30, U.S. Mission to International Organizations, U.S. Support for UN Sustainable Development Goals Through the IAEA Peaceful Uses Initiative, June 16,

5 but not limited to: using nuclear technology to increase food security, healthcare technology, water sanitation, prevent desertification, keep ecosystems in place and decrease biodiversity loss. Questions to Consider: What can your country gain from an increase in peaceful uses of nuclear power, infrastructure, irrigation etc.? What does your country already use nuclear energy for? 5