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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Nuclear issues
Since 2011, the German government has been implementing a policy phasing out nuclear power. Over a period of seven years, Bernhard Ludewig photographed the country's atomic landscape and history, keeping a visual record of the buildings and the work performed in them. The images, collected here, create a unique panorama of usually inaccessible spaces. On show are the plants' operations - processes including the opening of the reactor and the loading of Castor containers for transport - and interiors, such as control rooms and cooling towers. The book follows the journey of uranium from enrichment through reprocessing to final storage, and shows research spanning from Otto Hahn's discovery of fission to thorium and breeder reactor prototypes. In total 55 sites are represented, and im ages of research reactors, training facilities, and Chernobyl's sarcophagus provide a further look behind closed door. The Nuclear Dream offers an insight into a disappearing world whose rooms and technology often appear sacred. It is a fitting tribute to an era of boundless energy - one whose blue glow captured a generation and proclaimed the start of a new era.
Since the 1980s, the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu has faced multiple forms of resistance. Women and men from different walks of life - fishers, farmers, environmentalists, activists, writers, scholars, teachers, journalists, doctors, and lawyers among many others - have come together to combat the deadly radioactive repercussions and repression that come with the development of a high-security nuclear installation. Drawing upon their experiences, this historical and ethnographic study accounts for the anti-nuclear campaign's part in 'right-to-lives' movements while engaging with the (re)production of knowledge and ignorance in the understanding of radiation, and efforts to create an evidence base in response to the otherwise unavailable or insufficient data on the environment and public health in India. Tracing the grassroots struggle for 'energy justice' off- and on-line, the author looks into the larger questions of development, democracy, and nationalism. These have marked not just parts of India identified for large-scale constructions, but also other regions of the world where state functionaries have much to gain from corporate collaborations at the cost of local residents who lose their livelihoods, and are forcibly displaced, persecuted, or even killed in order to execute governmental designs in the name of the nation.
This textbook is the first comprehensive and systematic account of the science, technology and policy issues associated with nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. Throughout their account of the evolution of nuclear policy, from its origin to the early Trump presidency, the authors interweave clear technical expositions of the science and technology that underpin and constrain it. The book begins by tracing the early work in atomic physics, the discovery of fission, and the developments that led to the Manhattan Project and the delivery of atomic bombs against Japan that ended World War II. It follows the initial failed attempts at nuclear disarmament, the onset of the Cold War nuclear arms competition, and the development of light water reactors to harness nuclear energy for electric power generation. The authors thoroughly unpack the problem of nuclear proliferation, examining the strategy and incentives for states that have and have not pursued nuclear weapons, and providing an overview of the nuclear arsenals of the current nuclear weapon states. They trace the technical, political and strategic evolution of deterrence, arms control and disarmament policies from the first attempts for an Outer Space Treaty in 1957 through the new START treaty of 2009. At critical junctures in the narrative, the authors explain the relevant nuclear science and technology including nuclear fission and criticality; nuclear materials and enrichment; nuclear detonation and nuclear weapons effects; nuclear weapons stockpile constraints, stewardship and surveillance; nuclear fusion and thermonuclear weapons; technologies for monitoring, verification and proliferation; and nuclear forensics. They conclude with an assessment of contemporary issues ranging from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action reached to halt Iran's nuclear weapons development program, to the threat of nuclear terrorism, the perceived nuclear weapons policies of Russia and China, and the US efforts to provide disincentives for its allies to acquire their own nuclear weapons by maintaining credible security guarantees.
Transnational perspectives on the relationship between nuclear energy and society. With the aim of overcoming the disciplinary and national fragmentation that characterizes much research on nuclear energy, Engaging the Atom brings together specialists from a variety of fields to analyze comparative case studies across Europe and the United States. It explores evolving relationships between society and the nuclear sector from the origins of civilian nuclear power until the present, asking why nuclear energy has been more contentious in some countries than in others and why some countries have never gone nuclear, or have decided to phase out nuclear, while their neighbors have committed to the so-called nuclear renaissance. Contributors examine the challenges facing the nuclear sector in the context of aging reactor fleets, pressing climate urgency, and increasing competition from renewable energy sources. Written by leading academics in their respective disciplines, the nine chapters of Engaging the Atom place the evolution of nuclear energy within a broader set of national and international configurations, including its role within policies and markets.
Why did nuclear energy policies in France, Sweden, and the United States, very similar at the time of the oil crisis of 1973 and 1974, diverge so greatly in the following years? In answering this question, James Jasper challenges one of the most popular trends in political analysis: explanations relying exclusively on political and economic structures to account for public policies. Jasper proposes a new cultural and state-centered approach--one heeding not only structural factors but cultural meanings, individual biographies, and elite discretion. Surveying the period from the successful commercialization of light-water-reactor technology in the early 1960s to the present, he explains the events that occurred after 1973: France built even more reactors than it needed, the United States canceled most reactor orders, and Sweden completed planned nuclear plants but decided to phase out nuclear energy by 2010. This work is based on one hundred interviews with managers, policymakers, and activists in the three countries. In addition to providing a unique theoretical perspective, it broadens our understanding of nuclear policy by looking at three countries in depth and over a long historical span. Originally published in 1990. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
This book provides a readable and thought-provoking analysis of the issues surrounding nuclear fuel reprocessing and fast-neutron reactors, including discussion of resources, economics, radiological risk and resistance to nuclear proliferation. It describes the history and science behind reprocessing, and gives an overview of the status of reprocessing programmes around the world. It concludes that such programs should be discontinued. While nuclear power is seen by many as the only realistic solution to the carbon emission problem, some national nuclear establishments have been pursuing development and deployment of sodium-cooled plutonium breeder reactors, and plutonium recycling. Its proponents argue that this system would offer significant advantages relative to current light water reactor technology in terms of greater uranium utilization efficiency, and that separating out the long-lived plutonium and other transuranics from spent fuel and fissioning them in fast reactors would greatly reduce the duration of the toxicity of radioactive waste. However, the history of efforts to deploy this system commercially in a number of countries over the last six decades has been one of economic and technical failure and, in some cases, was used to mask clandestine nuclear weapon development programs. Covering topics of significant public interest including nuclear safety, fuel storage, environmental impact and the spectre of nuclear terrorism, this book presents a comprehensive analysis of the issue for nuclear engineers, policy analysts, government officials and the general public. "Frank von Hippel, Jungmin Kang, and Masafumi Takubo, three internationally renowned nuclear experts, have done a valuable service to the global community in putting together this book, which both historically and comprehensively covers the "plutonium age" as we know it today. They articulate in a succinct and clear manner their views on the dangers of a plutonium economy and advocate a ban on the separation of plutonium for use in the civilian fuel cycle in view of the high proliferation and nuclear-security risks and lack of economic justification." (Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency (1997-2009), Nobel Peace Prize (2005)) "The 1960s dream of a 'plutonium economy' has not delivered abundant low-cost energy, but instead has left the world a radioactive legacy of nuclear weapons proliferation and the real potential for nuclear terrorism. Kang, Takubo, and von Hippel explain with power and clarity what can be done to reduce these dangers. The governments of the remaining countries whose nuclear research and development establishments are still pursuing the plutonium dream should pay attention." (Senator Edward Markey, a leader in the US nuclear-disarmament movement as a member of Congress since 1976) "The authors have done an invaluable service by putting together in one place the most coherent analysis of the risks associated with plutonium, and the most compelling argument for ending the practice of separating plutonium from spent fuel for any purpose. They have given us an easily accessible history of the evolution of thinking about the nuclear fuel cycle, the current realities of nuclear power around the world and, arguably most important, a clear alternative path to deal with the spent fuel arising from nuclear reactors for decades to centuries to come." (Robert Gallucci, Chief US negotiator with North Korea (1994); Dean, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (1996-2009); President, MacArthur Foundation (2009-2014))
Radioactive particles have been released to the environment from a number of sources, including nuclear weapon tests, nuclear accidents and discharges from nuclear installations. Particle characteristics influence the mobility, biological uptake and effects of radionuclides, hence information on these characteristics is essential for assessing environmental impact and risks. This publication presents a series of papers covering sources and source term characterisation, methodologies for characterizing particles, and the impact of particles on the behaviour of radioactive particles in the environment. Sources covered include the Chernobyl accident, nuclear weapons accidents at Thule and Palomares accident, the discharges from Dounreay and Krashnoyarsk, and depleted uranium in Kosovo and Kuwait. The overall aim is that an increased understanding of particle characteristics and behavior will help to reduce some of the uncertainties in environmental impact and risk assessment for particle contaminated areas.
Decommissioning is the last step in the lifetime management of an authorized facility and it must be considered during the design, construction, commissioning and operation of such facilities. This publication provides guidance on how to comply with requirements for the safe decommissioning of nuclear power plants, research reactors, and other nuclear fuel cycle facilities. It addresses all the aspects of decommissioning that are required to ensure safety including: roles and responsibilities, strategy and planning for decommissioning, conduct of decommissioning actions and completion of decommissioning. It is intended for use by those working in policy and strategy development, planning, implementation and regulatory control of decommissioning.
How an alliance of the labor and environmental movements used law as a tool to clean up the trucking industry at the nation's largest port. In Blue and Green, Scott Cummings examines a campaign by the labor and environmental movements to transform trucking at America's largest port in Los Angeles. Tracing the history of struggle in an industry at the epicenter of the global supply chain, Cummings shows how an unprecedented "blue-green" alliance mobilized to improve working conditions for low-income drivers and air quality in nearby communities. The campaign for "clean trucks," Cummings argues, teaches much about how social movements can use law to challenge inequality in a global era. Cummings shows how federal deregulation created interrelated economic and environmental problems at the port and how the campaign fought back by mobilizing law at the local level. He documents three critical stages: initial success in passing landmark legislation requiring port trucking companies to convert trucks from dirty to clean and drivers from contractors to employees with full labor rights; campaign decline after industry litigation blocked employee conversion; and campaign resurgence through an innovative legal approach to driver misclassification that realized a central labor movement goal-unionizing port truckers. Appraising the campaign, Cummings analyzes the tradeoffs of using alternative legal frameworks to promote labor organizing, and explores lessons for building movements to regulate low-wage work in the "gig" economy. He shows how law can bind coalitions together and split them apart, and concludes that the fight for legal reform never ends, but rather takes different turns on the long road to justice.
In Resurrecting Nagasaki, Chad R. Diehl explores the genesis of narratives surrounding the atomic bombing of August 9, 1945, by following the individuals and groups who contributed to the shaping of Nagasaki City's postwar identity. Municipal officials, survivor-activist groups, the Catholic community, and American occupation officials all interpreted the destruction and reconstruction of the city from different, sometimes disparate perspectives. Diehl's analysis reveals how these atomic narratives shaped both the way Nagasaki rebuilt and the ways in which popular discourse on the atomic bombings framed the city's experience for decades.
Professor Knorr examines bends in the values which nations derive in their international relationships from the possession and use of both nuclear and non-nuclear military forces, and suggests that territorial conquest and the furtherance of economic benefits by military means have generally diminished in appeal. He inquires into the costs and disadvantages of military power-the greatly reduced security obtainable even by the major nuclear powers and the noticeable diminution in the legitimacy of international violence in its several forms. Originally published in 1966. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Radiation shielding has been for many years - too many years - the province of physicists and mathematicians. This is not to say that these have been the only ones confronted with shielding problems. Nuclear engineers encounter them daily. But physicists needed to shield first their accelerators and later their reactors, and they, with mathematicians, have developed the methods. And for too long engineers have relied on advice from these original shielders in their own design problems. The difficulty has been largely one of communication. Physicists, from FERMI and ZINN, who performed the first reactor shield research, to those currently so engaged, have written reports which were in the Physicists' language, and which did not extrapolate from their special data to the general problems. Later, texts on shielding were written by physicists - GOLDSTEIN, and PRICE, HORTON and SPINNEY - which told of the knowledge at hand. The engineer ROCKWELL edited the contributions of many people, most of whom were physi cists, in another text, but even this engineered approach attempted little more than to record experience from the submarine program."
Was ist Strahlenschutz, wie gefahrlich sind Strahlen? Die Autoren informieren verstandlich uber Fakten, Hypothesen und gesetzliche Grenzwerte. Sie setzen bewusst keine Kenntnisse der Physik, Biologie oder Medizin voraus. Das Buch ist fur alle die geschrieben, die wissen mochten, was hinter dem Begriff "Strahlenschutz" steckt. Der Erfolg dieses Buches hat gezeigt, wie dringend notwendig eine sachliche Information uber die Strahlen- und Strahlenschutzproblematik ist. Gerade die Meinungsbildner, Lehrer und Arzte, sind gefordert, die Frage nach den Gefahren einer Kerntechnik auch quantitativ korrekt zu beantworten. Dies gilt besonders in einer Zeit, in der nach einem GAU in Tschernobyl und Vorwurfen gegen die Atomindustrie in der Tagespresse die Kernenergie politisch vertretbar erscheint. Beide Autoren gehoren zu der kleinen Gruppe hauptberuflicher Strahlenschutzer. Sie sind Mitglieder nationaler und internationaler Kommissionen, in denen die Grenzwerte diskutiert und Empfehlungen beschlossen werden. Die 3. Auflage des Bu- ches berucksichtigt die Grenzwertempfehlungen der ICRP (Internationale Kommission fur Strahlenschutz) von 1990 im Arbeitsschutz und fur die Bevolkerung. Sie wurden geandert, als neue Untersuchungen eine tatsachlich niedrigere Strahlendosis in Hiroshima und Nagasaki ergaben. Damit erleben die Untersuchungen der Krebssterbefalle an Uberlebenden der Atombombenabwurfe eine neue Bewertung.
Der vorliegende Band des Handbuchs der medizinischen Radiologie zu der bisher wenig beachteten Frage von Strahlengefahrdung und Strahlenschutz umfaBt unseren heutigen Wis- sensstand tiber die Vedinderungen an Organen und Geweben, Funktionseinheiten und Syste- men des Organismus, die durch Einwirkungen ionisierender Strahlen und anderer physika- Ii scher Energien auftreten konnen. Vorangestellt werden Kenntnisse tiber die allgemeine zelluHire Strahlenbiologie und Strahlenpathologie sowie die generellen Fragen der biolo- gischen Wirkung dicht-ionisierender Teilchenstrahlen, urn allgemein die Strahlenwirkungen auf den lebenden Organismus besser verstehen zu konnen. Neben den Ubersichten der Strah- lenwirkungen auf die Abdominalorgane, den Harntrakt, die Lunge, das Hirn- und Nervenge- webe, den Knochen und die Haut werden das lymphatische System, das Knochenmark als blutbildendes System und die Strahlenreaktionen an den Generationsorganen in ihren verschiedenen Reaktionsphasen bis zur Schadigung und die Gewebserholung mit reparativen Vorgangen abgehandelt. Ein eigener Abschnitt des Bandes befaBt sich mit der Strahlengefahrdung durch Umwelt- einfltisse und berticksichtigt die nattirliche Strahlenexposition, behandelt das Berufsrisiko beim Urn gang mit radioaktiven Stoffen und setzt sich mit Strahlenkatastrophen aus arztlicher Sicht auseinander. Dabei werden nicht nur Reaktorunfalle, sondern auch Atombombenexplo- sionen mit ihren Schaden und den Moglichkeiten ihrer Behandlung eingehend erortert. Der Kenntnisstand tiber den chemischen Strahlenschutz bei Saugetieren und beim Menschen wird ausfUhrlich abgehandelt und abschlieBend werden der Wirkungsmechanismus von Strahlenschutzsubstanzen beim Menschen sowie die bisher gesammelten Erfahrungen einge- hend besprochen. 1m letzten Abschnitt des Handbuches werden die Probleme der kombinierten Strahlenthe- rapie erortert.
Originally perceived as a cheap and plentiful source of power, the
commercial use of nuclear energy has been controversial for
decades. Worries about the dangers that nuclear plants and their
radioactive waste posed to nearby communities grew over time, and
plant construction in the United States virtually died after the
early 1980s. The 1986 disaster at Chernobyl only reinforced nuclear
power's negative image. Yet in the decade prior to the Japanese
nuclear crisis of 2011, sentiment about nuclear power underwent a
marked change. The alarming acceleration of global warming due to
the burning of fossil fuels and concern about dependence on foreign
fuel has led policymakers, climate scientists, and energy experts
to look once again at nuclear power as a source of energy.
This book offers a critical evaluation of current scientific work on defining the issue of sustainability and on measuring progress towards a sustainable state. It aims to provide a common understanding of how progress towards sustainability can be achieved by optimising technological development, environmental impact and socio-economic factors. A further objective is to identify the major trends in methodologies that assist progress towards sustainability.
With the World desperate to find energy sources that do not emit carbon gasses, nuclear power is back on the agenda and in the news, following the increasing cost of fossil fuels and concerns about the security of their future supply. However, the term 'nuclear power' causes anxiety in many people and there is confusion concerning the nature and extent of the associated risks. Here, Maxwell Irvine presents a concise introduction to the development of nuclear physics leading up to the emergence of the nuclear power industry. He discusses the nature of nuclear energy and deals with various aspects of public concern, considering the risks of nuclear safety, the cost of its development, and waste disposal. Dispelling some of the widespread confusion about nuclear energy, Irvine considers the relevance of nuclear power, the potential of nuclear fusion, and encourages informed debate about its potential. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
This updated version of IAEA Nuclear Security Series No. 9, Security of Radioactive Material in Transport, is intended to facilitate the establishment of an internationally consistent approach to security of radioactive material in transport. It builds on the relevant recommendations of various existing IAEA Nuclear Security Series publications and is applicable to the security of packages containing radioactive material that could cause unacceptable radiological consequences if used in a malicious act during international and domestic transport. It is also relevant to the security of some nuclear materials of category III and below during transport, due to the radioactive nature of the material. Guidance on protection against unauthorized removal and sabotage is also covered.
Modern societies require energy systems to provide energy for cooking, heating, transport, and materials processing, as well as for electricity generation. Energy systems include the primary fuel, its conversion, and transport to the point of use. In many cases this primary fuel is still a fossil fuel, a one-use resource derived from a finite supply within our planet, causing considerable damage to the environment. After 300 years of increasing reliance on fossil fuels, particularly coal, it is becoming ever clearer that the present energy systems need to change. In this Very Short Introduction Nick Jenkins explores our historic investment in the exploitation of fossil energy resources and their current importance, and discusses the implications of our increasing rate of energy use. He considers the widespread acceptance by scientists and policy makers that our energy systems must reduce emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, and looks forward to the radical changes in fuel technology that will be necessary to continue to provide energy supplies in a sustainable manner, and extend access across the developing world. Considering the impact of changing to an environmentally benign and low-carbon energy system, Jenkins also looks at future low-carbon energy systems which would use electricity from a variety of renewable energy sources, as well as the role of nuclear power in our energy use. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
The nuclear age is coming to the Middle East. Understanding the scope and motivations for this development and its implications for global security is essential. The last decade has witnessed an explosion of popular and scholarly attention focussed on nuclear issues around the globe and especially in the Middle East. These studies fall into one of four general categories. They tend to focus either on the security and military aspects of nuclear weapons, or on the sources and mechanisms for proliferation and means of reversing it, or nuclear energy, or the logics driving state policymakers toward adopting the nuclear option. The Nuclear Question in the Middle East is the first book of its kind to combine thematic and theoretical discussions regarding nuclear weapons and nuclear energy with case studies from across the region. What are the key domestic drivers of nuclear behaviour and decision-making in the Middle East? How are the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council seeking to employ nuclear energy to further guarantee and expedite their hyper-growth of recent decades? Are there ideal models emerging in this regard that others might emulate in the foreseeable future, and, if so, what consequences is this development likely to have for other civilian nuclear aspirants? These region-wide themes form the backdrop against which specific case studies are examined.
Fusion neutron sources have many important practical uses, such as irradiation testing of materials and components, facilitating the production of various isotopes such as tritium, driving subcritical cores, characterizing spent nuclear fuel, and manufacturing medical isotopes. All these applications can be potentially improved by achieving higher neutron yields and fluxes in compact fusion neutron sources (CFNSs). This publication is a compilation arising from an IAEA coordinated research project on this topic and presents the project's main results and findings with the aim of supporting stakeholders in the development of CFNSs in the transition from conceptual to engineering design.
This publication presents a systematic approach to establishing and operating a national nuclear security support centre (NSSC) as a means to strengthen the sustainability of nuclear security in a State. It provides specific practical guidance to States, detailing a straightforward decision making and project management process drawn from good practices in establishing and operating an NSSC that were identified through the experience and lessons learned from States within the NSSC Network. The publication, which is a revision of TECDOC-1734, is intended for use by the IAEA and the NSSC Network as the primary reference for activities to support States with the establishment and operation of an NSSC. |
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