----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Adams" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Newsgroups: gmane.science.general.global-change >Makes one wonder about some of the other claims. The one claim that >does seem credible (given other sources) is that contracting with >Russia for reprocessing has the side effect of making the Russians >responsible for the waste from reprocessing. Puts a little tarnish on >the French image.
DU is a byproduct of the uranium enrichment industry that has been used to produce armor-piercing shells and aircraft counter-weights owing to its very high density. It is a hazardous material and generally speaking, transportation, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials should be handled with care - whether they be petroleum byproducts or uranium byproducts. International regulation of the nuclear fuel cycle and its byproducts is serious business that requires further attention. On the topic of reducing the threat of nuclear weapons in a nuclear powered world, here's a quote from "Toward a Nuclear-Free World" by George Shultz, William Perry, Henry Kissinger, and Sam Nunn, in the Wall Street Journal, January 15, 2008 "Another subject: Developing an international system to manage the risks of the nuclear fuel cycle. With the growing global interest in developing nuclear energy and the potential proliferation of nuclear enrichment capabilities, an international program should be created by advanced nuclear countries and a strengthened IAEA. The purpose should be to provide for reliable supplies of nuclear fuel, reserves of enriched uranium, infrastructure assistance, financing, and spent fuel management -- to ensure that the means to make nuclear weapons materials isn't spread around the globe." Interestingly, Iran is a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and the development of uranium enrichment facilities is allowed under the treaty. Whether the treaty is adhered to in letter and in spirit, or whether the treaty is supported by adequate institutional safeguards for monitoring and enforcement are open questions. I tend to agree that workable diplomatic solutions can and will be found, and that rule of law will ultimately prevail, though perhaps not without tribulation. The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership appears to be a step in the right direction. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2645379.stm http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2008/iran_visit.html http://www.gnep.energy.gov/pdfs/gnepStrategicPlanJanuary2007.pdf -dl --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups Global Change ("globalchange") newsgroup. Global Change is a public, moderated venue for discussion of science, technology, economics and policy dimensions of global environmental change. Posts will be admitted to the list if and only if any moderator finds the submission to be constructive and/or interesting, on topic, and not gratuitously rude. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/globalchange -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
