GA Resolution: Nuclear Waste Safety Act

[Guy]

This is the discussion thread. Please go here to cast your vote.

Nuclear Waste Safety Act
A resolution to improve world security by boosting police and military budgets.

Category: International Security
Strength: Significant
Proposed by: Erythrina


Description: This World Assembly,

Noting many nations depend on nuclear fuel in order to maintain a reliable energy source,

Further noting the residues of nuclear fuel can, if poorly managed, create long-term contaminated, radioactive areas, resulting in birth defects, injuries, death; or fall into the hands of terrorists who seek to steal these residues for the manufacture of nuclear weapons and "dirty bombs";

Recognizing nations are sovereign to dispose of those residues as stated by national law, even if it means shipping nuclear waste to willing nations;

Further recognizing other nations are also sovereign to accept those residues, often in exchange for monetary compensation;

Concerned that underdeveloped nations accept nuclear waste without due safety guarantees or even basic handling knowledge, putting in danger the lives of individuals;

Enacts that the international transfer of nuclear waste must be governed in a way no sovereign country is exploited. To that end:

Affirms that the responsibility over nuclear waste belongs to both the sender and recipient nations.

The sender must assess and guarantee that the recipient has all the necessary structures so that the waste shall never leak, be stolen, or otherwise diverted from perpetual storage.

The recipient shall ask for transfer of technology so as to fulfill the requirements above. The sender shall comply as long as said transfer does not breach the sender’s national security. Should the sender be a nation that is not a WA member, but the waste also was (in whole or part) processed, produced or transported by any WA member, that member or members also shall be responsible for all the duties mentioned above.

If the recipient, for any reason, is unable to prove it has all the necessary structure so that international nuclear waste shall never leak, be stolen, or otherwise diverted from perpetual storage, that nation shall be forbidden to receive international waste.

Recipients of international nuclear waste also shall never place nuclear waste storage facilities near water sources, urban centers, areas with seismic activity, wildlife sanctuaries, international borders.

Be it clarified: this act in no way whatsoever affects what a sovereign nation can or cannot do, within its borders, with nuclear waste produced inside its borders.

[Guy]

Next resolution up. Seems like a good idea, I'm for.

[Takaram]

Should the sender be a nation that is not a WA member, but the waste also was (in whole or part) processed, produced or transported by any WA member, that member or members also shall be responsible for all the duties mentioned above.

I don't like this part of it. It essentially says that Takaram is forced to govern the actions of nations who handle it's products irresponsibly.

[Guy]

Please, if you vote on the poll please voice your opinion here too.

[ImperialPoland]

against for the same reason as Takaram.

[Guy]

The requirements?

The sender must assess and guarantee that the recipient has all the necessary structures so that the waste shall never leak, be stolen, or otherwise diverted from perpetual storage.

I think that's reasonable.

[ImperialPoland]

the only reasonable part i saw in that was making sure the waste won't be stolen. otherwise, the rest is a joke. its not my responsibility to make sure some nation stores it safely. if they can't do it and still buy my waste, well its not exactly effecting me, is it? Now, i know you can point out that in the long run it's going destroy the earth or some other tree-huger nonsense, but by then, my empire will have left for other solar systems and will begin building a galactic empire! *evil laugh*

[Guy]

So you should be allowed to give anyone your nuclear waste? Come on, get real.

[Markanite]

Well Im going fo delegates prerogative for this one. I don't think nuclear power is great and my nation won't be using it so It wont really affect me

[ImperialPoland]

Oct 14, 2010 2:51:01 GMT -5 Guy said:

So you should be allowed to give anyone your nuclear waste? Come on, get real.

lol, that's not at all what I'm saying. Obviously you wouldn't want to sell plutonium to an unstable/psychotic nation. But it's one thing to restrict the selling of nuclear waste to a nation because its "ill-equipped" to handle it, and another to restrict it for the good of international security. Unless i somehow missed where it says " Bans the transfer of nuclear wastes to unstable nations" (and defines what an unstable nation is), then I'm standing with my earlier decision on this proposal.

[Guy]

Again, let's have a look what the actual responsibilities are as a sender:

The sender must assess and guarantee that the recipient has all the necessary structures so that the waste shall never leak, be stolen, or otherwise diverted from perpetual storage.

All it means is that you can't send the waste to nations in which the waste is likely to leak (as they don't have the basic infrastructure to prevent those) or that in which the waste may be stolen (i.e. it is not secured/guarded).

[Walabamba]

I'm with Guy on this one, I'm for

[ImperialPoland]

Oct 14, 2010 18:32:19 GMT -5 Guy said:

All it means is that you can't send the waste to nations in which the waste is likely to leak (as they don't have the basic infrastructure to prevent those) or that in which the waste may be stolen (i.e. it is not secured/guarded).

Again, your missing my point
I get what your saying, but like i said before, i don't care if the nation buying my waste can't keep it from leaking. If a nation wants to buy my waste, it should be THEIR responsibility to make sure there aren't any radiation leaks, ect.. If the nation can prevent the waste from being stolen, but can't stop it from leaking and stuff, i don't see any reason why such a trade should be restricted. Again, not my problem if recipient can't protect its own environment.

[Guy]

I agree, it's pobably not your problem in the short term. But imagine someone gives nuclear waste to your primitive neighbour.

[Cerb]

Unusually, I'm for.
I think the goal is to ensure that the material is stored safely. I'd rather pay a bit of cash to ensure that happens then face a dirty bomb placed under my desk.

[slurvania]

I am not very comfortable with the part of the Resolution that Takaram is, but for other reasons. It implies that I am responsible for the entireity of the nuclear waste if it is, at any point, transported through my nation. Even if I allow the transportation I should not be responsible for its storage and treatment.

I also feel it should not be my resonsiblity to supply a nation with the proper treatment or storage facilities for nuclear waste. Still, the resolution provides enough freedom to stay a neutral party in the affair while maintaining the safe disposal of nuclear waste, all in all I am for its approval.

[Cerb]

I guess my reasoning is that I should be very certain who I'm doing business with that has nuclear repurcussions.
I'm not taking unsolicited nuclear waste from anyone, and I'm not offloading it to anyone that I don't trust implicitly.

[Vladezia]

I vote for this decision because it seems like a reasonable and ethical long-run plan. Even the aforementioned paragraph about the seller being responsible for the conditions of the buyer is quite normal in my opinion: there are a multitude of sellers and buyers, you are not heavily restricted by applying such a decision. Besides, nuclear waste is a bio-hazard that could affect more than just the nation that has faulty storage, the implications can spread to a large number of neighboring countries.
Don't you think that by selling to a country with bad infrastructure (and implicitly a lack of funding or governmental issues that prevent said nation from improving its infrastructure) you are basically making them choose the lesser of two evils? Sure, money is better now, but when it all goes downhill everyone will turn their moral eyes back to you, the person who knew the risks and still decided to sell nuclear waste to someone incapable of handling it.

[Takaram]

Oh, I have no complaint about a nation being required to be careful about whom they sell nuclear waste to. However, if Takaram sells usable uranium to a nation with good infrastructure which later turns around and tries to get another nation with poor infrastructure to take on the waste, if this resolution passes, Takaram will be forced to become involved in the situation, even though we do not have any further stake in it.

[Vladezia]

In that case, isn't the good infrastructure country (the one Takaram sells to) the one responsible for the sale of nuclear waste and inherently the conditions in which said waste is stored?

"Affirms that the responsibility over nuclear waste belongs to both the sender and recipient nations." - so basically just 2 nations are involved, the sender and the receiver of the waste, not the seller of the unused uranium.

[ImperialPoland]

Oct 15, 2010 17:58:27 GMT -5 Guy said:

imagine someone gives nuclear waste to your primitive neighbour.

that's actually a good point, i wouldn't want a moronic neighbor placing radioactive waste that's leaking near my border...

[Takaram]

Actually, you're right. OK, nvm then. For.

[Echolilia]

"Nuclear Waste Safety Act" was passed 3,680 votes to 2,191.