GA Resolution: Nuclear Testing Safety

[Guy]

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

Nuclear Testing Safety
A resolution to slash worldwide military spending.

Category: Global Disarmament
Strength: Significant
Proposed by: Darenjo


Description: KNOWING that nuclear weapons are often needed for national defense,

BUT CONCERNED about the effects of nuclear tests including but not limited to: nuclear fallout, radiation, intense and deadly heatwaves and fire blasts, EMP waves and bursts, natural disasters, injury and death, and seismic activity,

BELIEVING that the unsupervised and unregulated testing of nuclear weapons poses an unnecessary risk to civilians and uninvolved armed forces,

HOPING to create greater safety regarding the testing of nuclear weapons,

The General Assembly hereby adopts the following measures:

DEFINES 'nuclear testing' as the usage of a nuclear weapon for research purposes, that is not targeted to destroy or affect a civilian, military, or prisoner populace;

RESTRICTS nuclear testing to areas where the testing and its aftereffects will not directly affect surrounding populaces;

BANS nuclear testing within the area between the edge of a populated celestial body's atmosphere and twice the distance of geosychronous orbit - measured at the equator of said celestial body;

SHOULD an inhabited celestial body lack an atmosphere or a well-defined, generally agreed-upon geosynchronous orbit, then nuclear-testing nations should refer to the above 'restricts' clause;

DECLARES that WA nations who test nuclear weapons shall be responsible for ensuring that the aftereffects of nuclear tests do not directly affect civilian, prisoner, or uninvolved military populaces;

ESTABLISHES the following rules that are to be followed for the process of testing nuclear weapons:
1. All tests must be thoroughly and fully supervised to ensure compliance with WA regulations
2. All tests be constructed so that the aftereffects of such tests do not directly affect other nations without their previous and explicit permission
3. All WA nations be able to quickly and efficiently clean up fallout from nuclear tests
4. All WA nations take as many precautions as necessary to ensure the absence of unnecessary death or injury due to nuclear testing;

EXEMPTS mild seismic activity that has been shown not to cause significant damage to settlements from the second rule above;

ESTABLISHES the Nuclear Testing Oversight Agency (NTOA) to:
1. Ensure that compliance of member states with WA regulations
2. To create guidelines for the cleanup of areas following nuclear tests - Until such time as the NTOA shall establish such guidelines pertaining to environmental cleanup, all nations that test nuclear weapons must perform adequate cleanup so that background radiation is returned to within 25% of levels present before the test
3. To supervise nuclear tests upon invitation from nuclear-testing nations
4. To fulfill any other atomic-related function the WA may see fit to assign it through future law

IMPLORES nations to place their tests in areas where EMP waves and bursts will not affect non-involved populaces;

Co-authored by Cardoness.

[Kurdazistan]

I voted against.

Nuclear weapons in the hands of reasonable nations is a proven deterrent.

Additionally, I am uncomfortable with elitist WA powerhouse nations having unrelenting control over the military and financial resources of our nation. I feel I speak for all of the greater 11 billion citizens of the nation of Kurdazistan when I say that we are not communists.

[Eireann Fae]

I question your 'proof', seeing as Iran getting nuclear arms is exactly what's getting the US/UN in a huff, and may provoke an attack. But that's neither here nor there.

The resolution at hand wouldn't prevent you from developing, acquiring, or using nuclear weapons. All it would do is make sure that you don't f**k people up while testing said weapons. There are many ways to safely test the devices that fall well within the bounds of this resolution. The only reason I see to vote against it is that you /want/ to cause harm with your nuclear testing. Please enlighten me if the case is otherwise.

[Darenjo]

Well, I'm not communist either, and by no means am I a "WA powerhouse".

Anyways, basically this puts a few sensible restrictions on testing:
1. You have to supervise your tests. No more setting off a nuke and coming back a month later to see what happened.
2. You cannot test anywhere between the edge of a planet's atmosphere and twice the distance of a planet's geosynchronous orbit.
3. You cannot test anywhere where the aftereffects will effect non-involved people (so no testing if the radiation will kill off the nearest city)
4. You have to clean up radiation. How much depends on the individual test.

[ImperialPoland]

although i was apprehensive at first, i'll be supporting this proposal. My main concern was that I'd have NTOA breathing down my neck while supervising my tests. However, i realized that the said proposal doesn't necessarily note who must be present while testing my bombs to ensure compliance with WA regulation.

case in point:

"All tests must be thoroughly and fully supervised to ensure compliance with WA regulations"

and NTOA responsibility to

"To supervise nuclear tests upon invitation from nuclear-testing nations"

Thus, i wouldn't have to disclose sensitive info on locations of nuclear bases/test sights, ect. to the whole world.

[ImperialPoland]

meh, just wrote a huge post referring to my previous one before realizing it was irrelevant...