UN EP

United Nations

Environmental

Programme

Topic: Addressing the Interconnected

Concern of the Management and Disposal of Nuclear Fuel and High-Level

Radioactive Waste Affecting

Biodiversity and Ecosystems.

Committee: Environment Programme

Founded in 1972 as a result of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, The United Nations Environment Programme currently leads the global environmental authority in order to promote coherent operations focused on the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system (UNEP, 2020).

According to the United Nations (2020), this committee “acts as a catalyst, advocate, educator, and facilitator to promote the wise use and sustainable development of the global environment”. The program is essentially the coordinating body for the United Nations environmental activities. This committee has played an utterly important role in identifying and analyzing global environmental problems, promoting environmental information, and developing regional and international environmental programs and conventions such as The Convention on Biological Diversity, The Vienna Convention for the Protection of Ozone Layer, and the Montreal Protocol (UNEP, 2020).

As other United Nations organs, this program categorizes its work into seven vast thematic areas: , disasters and conflicts, ecosystem management, environmental governance, chemicals and waste, resource efficiency, and the environment under review. In all its work, this United Nations Programme maintains an underlying commitment to . The most important task of the committee consists of assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices with the purpose of fulfilling the mission of providing leadership and encouraging partnership in caring for the environment. Furthermore, by inspiring and enabling nations to enhance their quality of life, the UNEP compromises to protect the multiple ecosystems and biodiversity areas in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (UNEP, 2020).

The United Nations Environmental program may potentially collaborate with committees such as the General Assembly (GA), United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and the World Bank. Additionally, the committee normally cooperates with Organizations such as the World Resources Institute, The Access Initiative, UNITAR, UNECE, EEA, EEB, World Future Council, REC. Additionally, some NGOs the committee usually works with are Academic Council on the United Nations System, ACT Alliance, Act for Nature, Action Committee for

the Three Global Conventions (CA3C), and Action Group on Erosion Technology and Concentration (ETC Group) (UNEP, 2020).

Topic: Addressing the Interconnected Concern of the Management and Disposal of Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste Affecting Biodiversity and Ecosystems.

I. History of the Topic

The first term to be discussed is nuclear fuel: This is the fuel that is used in a nuclear reactor to sustain a nuclear chain reaction. All the processes involved in refining, obtaining, and using this fuel make up a cycle known as the nuclear fuel cycle. Unlike fossil fuels, using nuclear fuels to produce energy does not directly produce carbon dioxide or sulfur dioxide. Nevertheless, the real concern arrives in the nuclear fuel cycle due to the fuel’s high radioactive properties (J.M.K.C. 2018).

The second term that will be discussed is high-level radioactive waste: These are highly radioactive materials produced as a by-product of reactions that occur within nuclear reactors. High-level waste takes one of two forms: either it is the reactor fuel when it is accepted for disposal, or it is the waste materials left over after the reprocessing of the spent fuel (UNEA, 2016).

It must be taken into consideration that the main issue is the disposal of the previously stated terms because their radiation emissions have affected the world's environment and biodiversity. Throughout history, countries, and organizations have disposed of most types of solid wastes by either burning them or burying them. This is certainly not the case with high-level radioactive waste, since it requires cautious disposal. However, in almost all cases, countries that produce these materials have opted to dispose of their wastes underground, in radioactive waste repositories, rather than to store them indefinitely on the surface (UNEP, 2020).

The responsibility to safely manage radioactive waste arising from nuclear power generation of electricity is a key political challenge for developers, industry, regulators, governments, and international organizations and governments. Scientific research and critical debate on radioactive waste disposal have been

going on for decades; it is time for countries to overcome the problem (World Nuclear Association, 2020).

II. Current Issues

Regarding this issue, the United Nations Environment Programme currently aims to minimize the impact of harmful substances and hazardous waste on the environment and humans. In fact, the programme builds on more than 30 years of work in the field of harmful chemicals and collaboration with other international organizations where UNEP brings the environmental component regarding risks associated with harmful substances, such as nuclear fuels and hazardous radioactive waste (UNEP, 2020).

It should be noted that all countries in the world are involved in the affair, regardless of geographic location or resources. This is because the countries that have the assets to exploit them are contributing to global warming. In the past, political debates on nuclear accidents have focused mainly on the negative impacts on humans. Although such impacts are important, policy debates must also consider consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem services, since the demand for energy is increasing worldwide and is potentially one of the main contributors to global climate change. This being stated, all countries using radioactivity, whether for energy production, medicine, research, or any other industrial activity, are confronted with the problem of managing the waste generated by these activities (Nuclear Energy Agency, 2019).

The use of nuclear energy has repercussions beyond the lifespan of those currently living. This raises concerns about intergenerational equity through the depletion of a non-renewable resource, and, more importantly, through the need to isolate radioactive waste from the . Even though the nuclear energy sector has managed to store spent fuel safely for more than half a century, there is currently no final disposal facility for the long-lived HLW (high-level waste) resulting from nuclear power generation. There is another thrilling trade-off among generations regarding the retrievability of waste, designed to offer future generations an equal opportunity to benefit from the potential energy resources and financial value of radioactive waste (NEA, 2020).

Another ongoing issue, specifically regarding HWLs, is that radioactive waste from past activities and events remains a threat to many countries. Recovery and

remediation programs are underway, but there is often debate over the most appropriate standards to apply. Standards based on health protection considerations are sometimes rejected in favor of more restrictive standards influenced by public concern. The issue requires further consideration at the international level, to have standards that are universally applied (NEA, 2020).

Nowadays, the world is still facing many dangerous situations. As stated before, the issues are not only the countries and their emissions, but how these emissions are causing a global negative impact. Some of the present dangers that high-level radioactive waste and nuclear fuel cause are the following:

Long half-life

Nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste have a long half-life, which means that they will remain radioactive and dangerous for thousands of years. Therefore, if something were to happen to the waste cylinders in which they are stored, this material will be extremely volatile and dangerous for the present and the future. On the other hand, since hazardous nuclear waste is often not sent to special places for storage, it is relatively easy to find, and if someone with ill intentions were to search for nuclear waste for unpleasant purposes, they could find it and negatively use it (IAEA, 2016).

Storage

Another problem with nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste that has yet to be solved is the problem of storage. It should be noted that many different storage methods have been discussed throughout history, and very few have been implemented. This is due to the problematic nature of storing hazardous material that will remain radioactive for thousands of years, as previously mentioned. Some of the proposed and applied disposal sites are surface storage, spatial disposal, ocean disposal, and ice sheet disposal. As a result, one of the biggest concerns that the world is currently facing happens when hazardous materials affect humans, animals, and plant life. Nuclear waste has the potential, and already is causing drastically bad effects on life, such as causing cancerous growths, and genetic problems for many generations of organisms (IAEA, 2016).

Accidents

Throughout history, there have unfortunately been several times where radioactive material was not properly disposed of, and, even though this does not happen very often, there have been many disastrous situations. For example, high- level radioactive waste has been spread by dust storms into areas that were populated by humans, flora, and fauna. Thus, this waste has contaminated water. This being mentioned, even if nuclear waste just slightly touches the ground, it can eventually get into water sources and, therefore, this waste may reach the homes of people who unwittingly drink high radioactive material.

Additionally, when an accident occurs, the restoration costs are extremely high. There is no easy route when it comes to cleaning up spilled radioactive waste: instead, it could take years to ensure that a specific area is safe for organisms to live in or even to have the chance of visiting the place once again. For example, there have been serious accidents, and decades have passed before things start to grow or live normally once again (IAEA, 2016).

Scavenging

A particularly bad problem that developing nations are currently facing occurs when people go scavenging for abandoned nuclear waste that is still radioactive. In some countries, there exists a specific market that specifically buys and sells all sorts of scavenged goods. With this taken into consideration, it must be noted that people will willingly expose themselves to dangerous levels of radiation and even risk their lives for the necessity of obtaining money. Unfortunately, these people are being affected by a severe number of health problems, such as cancer. People who scavenge these sorts of materials will end up in the hospital. If not properly treated, they can then expose other people who have not opted to go scavenging for nuclear waste to radioactive materials (IAEA, 2016).

III. UN Actions

In 2008, The United Nations Environment Programme has been preparing several strategies while conducting the conflict into a more stable situation. As for the present-day reports, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 5) provided essential information related to the analysis and needs for the management

of chemicals and waste based on the knowledge contributed by the Global Chemical Outlook II (GCO II). This information covered topics that were profitable for strengthening the science-policy interface and assessing current issues of global

concern. Some reports included the health impacts of pesticides and fertilizers, the environmental impacts of antimicrobial resistance. Since others acknowledge the manuals on green and sustainable chemistry while setting the path for solutions. These reports provided a significant recognition of the importance of chemicals and waste, in order to label different aspects of this current situation to manage the importance of sustainable development (UNEP, 2020).

Alluding to the same circumstances, international organizations such as the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the European Union (EU), and national authorities are being responsible for radiological protection as well as recognizing the use of principles issued by the ICRP as a fundamental basis for the protection of individuals and the environment (UNGA, 2007).

Comparably, The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), established on 1 February 1958, currently gives out assistance to its member countries in maintaining and developing, through international cooperation, the scientific and legal bases for the use and management of nuclear energy. All of this in order to achieve safe and economical use of this resource for peaceful purposes. Moreover, The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) is recognized as an independent nongovernmental organization created in 1928. The NGO functions as an advisory guide for multiple countries to advance the science of radiological protection. It is necessary to mention that the ICRP has issued recommendations for the guidance related to geological disposal, provided in Publication 122 (ICRP, 2013) (NEA, 2020).

IV. Conclusions

Companies The unfolding solutions that are recommended for the topic are mainly focused on practicing efficient disposal methods. Mostly, the priority is to address the situation with responsibility and awareness of the numerous consequences of nuclear energy taking into account that it is essential for the development of activities that are currently carried out and proceeding on a daily basis (World Nuclear Association, 2020).

According to the issue that has been previously established, the committee must be able to assess common solutions to the topic taking into account the factors involved in order to determine proactive actions that benefit as many fields as

possible. Each country has the responsibility to develop a safe method of managing radioactive and chemical waste in order to handle the privilege of acquiring nuclear power.

At the time that the United Nations Environment Programme and multiple organizations previously mentioned, keep accomplishing proactive practices for the management and disposal of nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, it is highly relevant to raise awareness of the situation just as these organizations do. Analyze the scientific progress that is constantly growing and achieve common agreements with global cooperation to pursue compelling actions that benefit industries, communities, and ecosystems all along (UNEP, 2020).

V. Guiding Questions

1. How is your country involved in the managing and disposal of nuclear fuel and/or high-level radioactive waste?

2. What partnerships can be formed through the solving of this issue and which Sustainable Development Goals can be targeted?

3. How can the citizens of your country be part of the solution?

4. Why is the issue still growing even though disposal has been treated for the past decades and many proposals have been taken in action?

5. Which activities can be developed in order to reduce the consequences of nuclear waste?

6. How has your country been interconnectedly affected by radiation?

7. Which measures can be taken to rely on the cautious disposal of high- level radioactive waste?

VI. Bibliography

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