CSD 9 Updates; Nuclear at the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development

Challenges
Nuclear power currently accounts for 16 per cent of the world's electricity generation. However, nuclear energy is associated with a number of concerns, in particular regarding nuclear safety, spent fuel, waste management, transboundary consequences and decommissioning. The choice of nuclear energy rests with countries.

Some countries have been using nuclear energy technologies safely and see no inordinate concern in using and developing additional technology for properly managing and controlling spent fuel and other nuclear materials, and some of these countries consider that the use of nuclear energy should be increased. From their perspective, nuclear power is a sustainable energy source with both economical and environmental advantages. In their view, the removal of the option of nuclear power would remove an important element of flexibility and diversity in energy supply. For those countries that choose nuclear energy, the challenge lies in ensuring environmentally sound, socially acceptable and cost-effective solutions and in addressing nuclear safety and spent fuel and waste management as well as public concerns on these issues. Many countries seek the promotion of international cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Some other countries have decided to phase-out nuclear energy from their energy supply mix. Other countries, including several developed countries as well as Small Island Developing States (SIDS), do not use nuclear energy and do not consider nuclear energy as an appropriate or acceptable source of energy. Many of these countries are of the view that nuclear energy is not compatible with the objectives of sustainable development, and that risks related to safety, waste management and transport and stranded costs remain unsolved. Some are also of the opinion that the use of nuclear energy in general should be phased-out as soon as practically possible.

Recommendations
Governments, taking into account their national circumstances, are encouraged to:

1. Support their national efforts, including research and international cooperation as an effective tool in addressing the issues of nuclear safety and spent fuel and waste management;
2. Strengthen independent national regulatory agencies and promote international cooperation in nuclear safety;
3. Promote a high level of nuclear safety;
4. Improve the transparency of nuclear safety-related decisions inter alia, through public participation, where appropriate;
5. Promote public education and participation as well as capacity building of human resources, in the areas of nuclear energy and waste management;
6. Further develop technological solutions for long-lived radioactive waste;
7. Address the safety of their nuclear energy installations, as deemed appropriate after assessment by national regulatory authorities, including consideration of the option of phasing out and closing, as appropriate, such installations;
8. Recalling paragraph 8 of IAEA Governing Council resolution, GC (44)/RES/17, and taking into account the very serious potential for environment and human health impacts of radioactive wastes, make efforts to examine and further improve measures and internationally-agreed regulations regarding safety, while stressing the importance of having effective liability mechanisms in place, relevant to international maritime transportation and other transboundary movement of radioactive material, radioactive waste, and spent fuel, including, inter alia, arrangements for prior notification and consultations done in accordance with relevant international instruments.

New York, Sunday 22 April

High Level Sessions; NGO reps thrown out; Press conference on Kyoto; Earth Day: No more nukes!

High Level Sessions

Wednesday 18 April the CSD High Level Sessions started, with many Ministers of the Environment participating. In their opening statements most countries avoided to mention nuclear. However, it seems that within the EU the position is now to go for deletion of the paragraph on nuclear.

NGO Representatives thrown out

To support those delegates arguing for deletion of the CSD paragraph on nuclear energy, members of the NGO Energy & Climate Change Caucus had planned a rally outside the UN Headquarters next to the delegates' entrance. The rally was scheduled for Friday 20 April in the early afternoon. Materials, including signs were prepared in one of the UN conference rooms. Obviously, these signs were going to be used outside and not inside the UN building as one is not allowed to stage protests inside.
However, when security guards discovered some of the signs they grabbed three people that seemed to be involved. They were accused of not obeying UN regulations even though the three argued that they were not planning anything nasty inside. Apparently, a flyer calling for the rally outside, but suggesting to gather before hand at the Cafe inside the UN building, had alarmed the security. The three people, two of which were from the Canadian Youth and one Dutch person from WISE Amsterdam, were kept from about 11 am until after 3 pm. They were interrogated as to who their 'leader' was and who else was involved in the rally scheduled that early afternoon.
Interestingly enough, the UN Security service was not able to reproduce a hard copy of the regulations stating that one is not allowed to carry signs inside the UNHQ. Meanwhile, NGO people that had been wearing 'Atomic power? No thanks!' badges were all of a sudden requested to put these away.
Later that afternoon, a person from the Danish NGO INFORSE went up to the security office together with others to find out what the situation was with the three captured people. As a result, he was questioned as well and his badge has been confiscated. Neither he nor the representative from WISE will be allowed back in during CSD 9.

At least one of the mentioned NGO representatives was offered a 'special', be it slightly intimidating, deal: It was pointed out that under standard procedure she would have to be handed over to the police (NYPD), arrested and spend the night at a police station. However, if she would be ready to point out other NGO people that had been involved in the creation of the signs, she would probably be treated less severe, as one of the security officers pointed out to her. She replied that she would not want to identify others involved in this way, and was walked to the exit fifteen minutes later.
The Energy NGOs have been outraged about the manner in which the UN Security Service has dealt with this issue.
First of all security guards seem to have taken people away without knowing on which regulation exactly they based this action.
Secondly, NGO people have been denied further access to CSD 9 even though they pointed out time and again that they were only planning a small action outside the UN territory, i.e. on the NYC sidewalk. Their freedom of expression has been obstructed as well as their possibility to participate in the CSD 9 process in a meaningful manner from the inside.

Press Conference on Kyoto

Also on Friday 20 April, NGOs present at CSD 9 gave a press conference on the Kyoto Protocol. They reacted on the Pronk paper and covered various issues including nuclear energy. Speakers included Bill Hare (Greenpeace International), Jennifer Morgan (WWF) and Peer de Rijk (WISE Amsterdam). A summary of the press conference can be found here.

Earth Day: No Nukes in CSD!

Sunday 22 April, EarthDay was celebrated all over the world and one of the events was in New York and related to CSD. A march from Times Square brought its 300 protestors to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza across the street from the UN.
Here, a rally took place during the afternoon, with many speakers and musicians underlining how nuclear is not sustainable whereas there are many alternatives available!

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New York, Tuesday 17 April 2001

Energy Experts Report; Dialogues; No Nukes Petition

Report IGEESD out, at last

On Monday 16 April the Ninth Session of the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development started. After the adoption of the agenda, a brief account was given of the 'intersessional working groups' that have been preparing CSD9. One of these working groups was the Group of Experts on Energy and Sustainable Development which convened last February (click here for an account).

The Energy Experts Co-Chairs Freudenschuss - Reichl and Salamat told CSD how the Energy experts had been unable to reach agreement on the paragraph dealing with nuclear. To the surprise of NGOs who have been waiting since the Energy experts meeting ended on 2 March for the Co-Chair to publish their report, such a report, dated 20 March, was issued Monday 16 April. Apparently the report had existed for a while but not immediately posted at the CSD website which is usually the case. NGOs and others, preparing themselves for the CSD 'multistakeholder dialogues' (see below) thus were uncertain what input to expect from the Energy experts.

Basically, the report [(E/CN.17/2001/15)]) is a compilation of the text negotiated at the Energy Experts. As a lot of issues remained unresolved this means that a number of paragraphs is put between brackets indicating that it is unagreed text. This potpourri of 'recommendations' is transferred to CSD 9 'for further discussion and appropriate action.' The paragraph on nuclear has been bracketed in its entirety. Nuclear energy promises to become one of the most contentious issues at CSD 9.

As the Earth Negotiations Bulletin puts it :

"Energy was the buzzword today [Monday] and promises to be the issue of the session, with interest focusing in particular on the text relating to nuclear technologies. Although there is overwhelming support for a proposal to delete this text, a small number of countries are pushing for its retention. Some participants speculate that motivation for its retention is driven by an interest in exporting nuclear energy technologies to developing countries in order to earn carbon credits. These participants are furious at the prospect, observing that it is unsustainable and a heavy investment with little benefits to already marginalized groups.
Others contend that the cost of managing nuclear waste is too high, thus non-users would not adopt it. Delegates' positions at the intersessionals have also reportedly been rattled by the recent US articulations on the Kyoto Protocol."

Multi - stakeholder dialogues

The first two days of CSD were largely devoted to the so-called Multi-stakeholder dialogues. These dialogues give an opportunity to interested parties to express their views and enter into dialogue with interested governments. Stakeholders recognized by CSD are Business and Industry, Local Authorities, the Scientific and Technological Community, Trade Unions and NGOs.
The latter group includes a number of anti-nuclear campaigners from organisations such as

• WISE Amsterdam
• NIRS
• Earthlife South Africa
• INFORSE
• Climate Action Network
• Helio International

But during the Multistakeholder dialogues, speakers from the Local Authorities and Trade Union groups also expressed their opposition to nuclear energy.

Business and Industry participants include

• The International Chamber of Commerce
• the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL)
• British Nuclear Fuel (BNFL)
• the Canadian Nuclear Association
• Framatome
• the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI)
• the Uranium Institute (UI London)
• Swedish Vattenfall AB

were on the preliminary list of participants, which can be found at the CSD page on the dialogues

No Nukes Petition

Tuesday morning [17th of april], a representative of Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS) presented a petition to CSD9 Chairman Bedrich Moldan (Czech Republic). The petition, initiated by Helio International, INFORSE, Earth Day Network, WISE Amsterdam and NIRS, and has been signed by over 750 organisations from all over the world, demands the UN CSD to refrain from support for nuclear technologies. As nuclear power is not a clean, safe or sustainable source of energy, the organisations consider any focus which seems to validate nuclear against the mandate of the Commission on Sustainable Development. The text of the petition can be found here. To further underline their opposition to nuclear, NGOs are planning demonstrations, including one in New York on Earth Day, this Sunday 22 April 2001.

To be continued!
WISE Amsterdam

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