Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Getting serious about zero

By Tilman Ruff - posted Wednesday, 30 July 2008


Last year the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock forwards to five minutes to midnight, stating: “Not since the first atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki has the world faced such perilous choices.”

Recently, state-of-the-art atmospheric models have been applied by atmospheric scientists Brian Toon of the University of Colorado and Alan Robock of Rutgers University to evaluate the consequences of a regional nuclear war involving just 0.03 per cent of the explosive power in the world’s arsenals - within the capacity of eight states including Israel, India and Pakistan.

Apart from immediate incinerating devastation and radioactive fallout killing tens of millions, global climatic consequences would be unexpectedly severe and persist for 10 years. Cooling, with killing frosts and shortened growing seasons, rainfall decline, monsoon failure and substantial increase in UV radiation, would combine to slash global food production. One billion people could starve. Preventing any use of nuclear weapons is clearly of paramount security concern for every inhabitant on the planet.

Advertisement

The Australian Labor Party came to office with a commitment to abolishing nuclear weapons through a nuclear weapons convention. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s announcement of an International Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Commission to report to an international summit in Australia next year is a welcome initiative. If well-supported and resourced, and focused on building coalitions and momentum in the lead-up to the 2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, it could help break the logjam and bad faith that have eroded the NPT disarmament and non-proliferation bargain to the point of rupture.

There is a lot more that the Australian government can do to walk the talk towards a nuclear weapons-free world. The Prime Minster and Foreign Minister should both stay strongly engaged on nuclear issues. The capacity of their departments on non-proliferation and disarmament needs to be ramped up.

Australia should also explore ways to denuclearise its military alliances and not provide facilities or personnel for any possible use of nuclear weapons. This would greatly strengthen Australia’s credibility in nuclear disarmament by concretely reducing the role of nuclear weapons in our “own shop”. It would apply the most effective possible political pressure on the US and other nuclear armed states, and reduce the incentive for nuclear weapons to be targeted at Australia.

Australia should withdraw from participation in missile defence, which is destabilising, technically unfeasible and fuels vertical proliferation. Uranium mining should be phased out.

In the meantime, Australia should work to reduce sharply the proliferation dangers inherent in the nuclear fuel chain by supporting urgent efforts for multilateral control of uranium enrichment capacity globally, and exploring all possible avenues to stop reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel to extract plutonium. This means not participating in the US Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, which envisages extensive spent fuel reprocessing.

Any R&D on uranium enrichment still being undertaken at Australia’s nuclear facility at Lucas Heights should be shut down.

Advertisement

Australia should advocate cessation of civilian and military use of weapons-usable highly enriched uranium, including the production of isotopes for medicine. Finally, to show positive leadership through significant action addressing the energy crisis, Australia should promote renewable energy and the creation of an International Renewable Energy Agency.

The growing recognition that nuclear weapons must be abolished and the imminent election of a new US President provide perhaps the best opportunity in a generation for serious progress on nuclear disarmament.

The government deserves encouragement and support to grasp a real opportunity for leadership and integrity by removing the most urgent threat to global health, and moving decisively away from being part of the nuclear problem.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. All

This article is reproduced from the August 2008 edition of Australasian Science.



Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

15 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Tilman Ruff is Associate Professor in the Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne and Australian chair of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Tilman Ruff

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 15 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy