The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) Bans All Nuclear Explosions
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CTBTO PREPARATORY COMMISSION 24 ISSUE 24 SEPT 2015 ISSUE SPECTRUM MAGAZINE ISSUE 24 | SEPTEMBER 2015 FOREIGN MINISTER FOREIGN MINISTER EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE FORMER UN HIGH OF JAPAN OF KAZAKHSTAN FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPRESENTATIVE FOR AND SECURITY POLICY DISARMAMENT AFFAIRS FUMIO ERLAN FEDERICA ANGELA KISHIDA IDRISSOV MORGHERINI KANE CTBTO.ORG CTBTO SPECTRUM SPECTRUM CTBTO The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) bans all nuclear explosions. It opened for signature on 24 September 1996 in New York. As of September 2015, 183 countries had signed the Treaty and The main tasks of the CTBTO are to promote signatures 164 had ratified it. Of the 44 nuclear capable States which must and ratifications and to establish a global verification regime ratify the CTBT for it to enter into force (the Annex 2 countries), capable of detecting nuclear explosions underground, 36 have done so to date while eight have yet to ratify: China, the underwater and in the atmosphere. Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States. The regime must be operational when the Treaty enters into force. It will consist of 337 monitoring facilities supported by The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear- an International Data Centre and on-site inspection measures. As Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) consists of the States of 4 September over 85 percent of the facilities at the International Signatories and the Provisional Technical Secretariat. Monitoring System (IMS) were operational. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Elisabeth Wächter, Chief of Public Information EDITORIAL BOARD: THIS ISSUE’S COVER Khaled Abdelhamid, Denise Brettschneider, Takemi Chiku, Jean du Preez, Gerhard Graham, Mushroom cloud David Jepsen, Thomas Mützelburg, Matjaz Prah, COVER IMAGE: Grahame Soper wants to destroy CTBTO CONTRIBUTORS: Leonie Haiden, Joynul Islam, Awoba Macheiner, human spring Patricia Torruella, Isabelle-Constance von Opalinski by Renzou LAYOUT AND DESIGN: Todd Vincent Zhan DISTRIBUTION: Pablo Mehlhorn Photographs and illustrations are at the courtesy of the authors PUBLISHED BY: and the CTBTO. Public Information Preparatory Commission for the PLEASE VISIT WWW.CTBTO.ORG Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban YOUR RESOURCE Treaty Organization (CTBTO) FOR STOPPING NUCLEAR TESTING Vienna International Centre P.O. Box 1200 We welcome any feedback on the content of this issue. Please send any suggestions to [email protected] 1400 Vienna, Austria T +43 1 26030 6200 DISCLAIMER: F +43 1 26030 5823 The views expressed in articles by external contributors do not E [email protected] necessarily reflect the positions and policies of the CTBTO. I www.ctbto.org The boundaries and presentation of material on maps do not imply the expression of any opinion on the part of the Provisional Printed in Austria, September 2015 Technical Secretariat concerning the legal status of any country, on Munken Lynx Paper territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the © 2015 CTBTO wood and acid-free, delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. CTBTO Spectrum – ISSN: 1680-533X certified by the Forest Stewardship Council TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITORIAL 1 CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo TREATY STATUS 2 CTBT signatures and ratifications (as of 4 September 2015) 3 GROUP OF EMINENT PERSONS (GEM) 4 Iran deal bodes well for CTBT's entry into force by Federica Mogherini, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy 5 Overcoming the disarmament malaise by Angela Kane, former United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs 2015 ARTICLE XIV CONFERENCE 6 Why Japan is fully committed to the CTBT by Fumio Kishida, Foreign Minister of Japan 7 Time to ban nuclear weapons testing forever by Erlan Idrissov, Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan VOICES 9 Two succesful decades of Working Group B by Robert Kemerait, Senior Scientist, Air Force Technical Applications Center 12 IN PICTURES: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLGY CONFERENCE 2015 VOICES 14 Everything is connected by Ari Beser, Author and Journalist STATUS OF CERTIFIED IMS FACILITIES 17 Certified International Monitoring System (IMS) facilities (as of 4 September 2015) VOICES 18 Identifying ships in photos of the Baker nuclear test by Michael Büker, Physicist and Science Communicator INTERVIEW: THE NUKEMAP 20 Interview with Alex Wellerstein, Historian of Science, Stevens Institute of Technology, USA MONITORING SYSTEM 23 Drilling for radioactive samples ‒ The ultimate CTBT verification measure by Walter D. Dekin, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Ward L. Hawkins, Los Alamos National Laboratory ART AND NUCLEAR TESTING 27 Featuring: Xiaoyu Li 28 ART FOR THE TEST BAN 30 PEOPLE CTBTO SPECTRUM 24 | SEPTEMBER 2015 EDITORIAL LASSINA ZERBO CTBTO EXECUTIVE SECRETARY Populations downwind from test sites on the repercussions of the Iran nuclear around the world paid with their health and agreement, while former UN High often their lives. One of the most affected Representative for Disarmament Affairs areas was Semipalatinsk in today’s Angela Kane, also a GEM member, describes Kazakhstan. 29 August marks the day of the ways to overcome today’s "disarmament first nuclear test at Semipalatinsk, as well as malaise". the site’s closure in 1991 by the newly independent Kazakhstan. At the country’s In 2016, two decades will have passed initiative, by virtue of a resolution of the since the adoption of the CTBT on 24 United Nations General Assembly the date is September 1996. With entry into force commemorated since 2010 as the continuing to elude us, there is no cause for International Day against Nuclear Tests. jubilation. Yet we do have reason to be proud of what the CTBTO, through the support of its On the occasion of this international Member States, achieved in terms of building day, United Nations Secretary-General Ban a verification regime that surpassed all Ki-moon stated that "the best way to honour expectations. What is now needed is to work the victims of past tests is to prevent any in together to create the conditions for the the future". In this context, 29 August serves Treaty’s entry into force. It is through as reminder that banning nuclear testing multilateral cooperation and coordination that In Japan last month at the solemn remains unfinished business. progress in nuclear non-proliferation and 70th commemoration of the bombings of arms control will be achieved. Hiroshima and Nagasaki and again at the The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban meeting of the Group of Eminent Persons Treaty (CTBT), in spite of enjoying near- The CTBTO Member States’ policy- (GEM), I had the privilege and opportunity to universal support, is not yet legally binding making organ overseeing the build-up of meet with several “Hibakusha”, such as Keiko due to its exceptionally demanding entry the verification regime is Working Group B, Ogura who was eight years old in 1945. Her into force clause, which prescribes that all short WGB. In this issue, one of the testimony, like that of all survivors, moved me 44 countries listed as nuclear technology longest-serving WGB delegates, Robert and all those who listened to her and it holders must ratify1. Kemerait from the U.S. Air Force Technical strengthened our resolve to work harder to Applications Center, looks back at the past rid the world of nuclear weapons once and It is highly symbolical that Japan and two decades of WGB milestones. for all. During my visit, I also had the Kazakhstan will jointly lead international opportunity to meet Ari Beser, a journalist efforts to bring the CTBT into force by Under the CTBT, on-site inspections are who is using his own family history to chairing the Article XIV Conference on 29 the ultimate verification measure, and drilling investigate and report on what happened 70 September 2015 and by presiding over the into a suspected nuclear explosion chamber is years ago – and is drawing his own, Article XIV process over the coming two the ultimate on-site inspection measure. In sometimes surprising, conclusions on ways to years. In their respective articles, Japan’s their article, Walter Dekin from the Lawrence achieve a more peaceful and more hopeful Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and Livermore National Laboratory and Ward future. A sample of his writing is in this issue. Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov Hawkins from Los Alamos National explain why the nuclear test ban remains a Laboratory outline the requirements for The over 2,000 nuclear tests conducted top priority for their respective countries. conducting this most demanding and during the Cold War paved the way for the hazardous of all on-site inspection techniques. development of weapons that dwarf the In Hiroshima this August, Members Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs in explosive of the Group of Eminent Persons (GEM) We round off this issue with a power. A powerful tool to visualize this gathered to discuss ways to advance the sampling of artists’ interpretations and difference is the Nukemap by U.S. nuclear CTBT’s entry into force. The group also met inspirations around the topic of nuclear weapons historian Alex Wellerstein, who in Seoul, Republic of Korea, in June. testing, which were on show this summer explains his motivation in creating such a and autumn in China, Austria and in New unique online tool in this issue. Continuing this In this issue, GEM member and EU York, proving that a picture really can say issue’s excursion into history, German physicist High Representative for Foreign Affairs and more than a thousand words. Michael Büker