Co Chairs: Astin Pollack and Evie Dettman Moderator: Victor Krolik
Position papers will be due on February 5th, 2021. The position paper format, and all other important conference documents, can be found on our conference website,http://lhhsconference.weebly.com/ (Links to an external site.). Email all position papers to our committee email:[email protected]. Feel free to contact us via email if you have any questions or concerns!
Hello Delegates, my name is Astin Pollack, and am one of the co-chairs. I am a senior at Laguna Hills and have been doing MUN for going on 4 years now. Outside of MUN, I enjoy hiking, the beach, and learning about our world and the politics surrounding it. I look forward to meeting you all in committee and seeing the solutions you bring to the committee.
Hi delegates! My name is Evie Dettmann, and I am a Senior here at LHHS. I have been a part of the MUN program since 8th grade and I am very excited to be your co-head chair this year. While School keeps me pretty busy when I am free, my favorite things to do are play the electric guitar, hang out with my friends, and work at the HK cafe in Irvine. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon!
Hello, my name is Victor Krolik, and I am your moderator. I am a sophomore at Laguna Hills High School and have been in the MUN program since my freshman year. Although I enjoy MUN, outside of schoolwork I like to learn about history and spend time with my friends. I’ll see you all during the committee!
Topic: Radioactive Waste Management
Background: Radioactive waste is produced when trace amounts of fuel are used to generate massive amounts of electricity. The waste produced from this form of generation must be contained in a manner that does not disrupt ecological cycles and normalities. Fuel used from nuclear reactors, created through the process of burning and mining of Uranium, produces waste that can be characterized as Low-Level Waste (LLW), Intermediate Level Waste (ILW), High-Level Waste (HLW), and Very Low-Level Waste (VLLW). High-Level Waste is the most hazardous as it contributes to 95% of the total radioactivity of waste and is either used fuel itself or reprocessed used fuel. Several nations face the challenges that come with geologically managing radioactivity produced by non-nuclear activities such as laboratory research, industrial activities, as well as nuclear medicine options being tested (all being short-lived waste). It is necessary to isolate radioactive waste as it presents several dangers to humans if they were to come into contact with it. The disposal of LLW or ILW is usually carried out by packaging and delivering it to a land-based disposal facility; several nations, such as Spain, France, Russia, the USA, and South Korea, have operating near-surface waste disposal facilities. The majority of countries around the globe prefer to use the method of deep geological disposal for HLW and ILW that is considered to be long-lived. The United States utilizes a deep geological facility, called The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant that stores military products contaminated by plutonium. An estimated 250,000 tonnes of spent fuel are currently being stored worldwide, with two-thirds of it being stored in storage ponds. An example of a storage pond is CLAB, located in Sweden, which is up to 12 meters below the surface, with 4-meter long neuron absorber racks, and water above the fuel itself. The management of this waste is necessary for terms of isolation, cooling, and shielding.
UN Involvement: The United Nations has been taking several steps to safely handle radioactive waste. In 2001, the International Atomic Energy Agency passed the “Measures to Strengthen International Co-operation in Nuclear, Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety” resolution, which encouraged transparency in the shipping of radioactive materials. Also in 2001, the GA passed the “Prohibition of the dumping of radioactive wastes” resolution. IAEA has also published “ Guidance on the Import and Export of Radioactive Sources” and “Code of Conduct on Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources”; these guidelines provide recommendations and standards for states to follow when dealing with radioactive wastes. Additionally, IAEA has created over 20 safety standards regarding different aspects of radioactive waste management, such as a disposal, classification, storage, and surveillance. Besides issuing standards and guidelines, IAEA assists member-states in following these standards and guidelines by running peer reviews on management processes and programs upon request and through cooperation projects. There are also NGOs that have been contributing to the safe management and disposal of radioactive waste, such as the Nuclear Transparency Watch. In a COVID-19 stricken world, the IAEA has worked on providing safety peer reviews virtually to prevent the spread of the virus and has successfully acted out this review in Lithuania Bloc Positions: Western Bloc: Western countries have taken many precautions regarding the correct management of radioactive wastes. For example, countries within the European Union work together to make sure that all radioactive waste is recorded and monitored from the moment it no longer plays a role for any uses to the moment it is placed in a designated area that has no connection to any living things. The United States passed a Nuclear Waste Policy Act in 1982 which strictly deals with keeping the most updated information on all radioactive waste all the way down to its permanent disposal.
Latin Bloc: Brazil currently has planned to reopen their uranium mine and milling factories which will be run by Brazil's government. The Mexican government has established separate organizations such as the Mexican Constitution on Nuclear Matter and the Minister of Energy which are directly in charge of dealing with radioactive waste.
African Bloc: The Republic of South Africa has a focus on its Radioactive Waste Management Policy and Strategy which states international issues within the radioactive waste and South Africa’s regulations on the issue. The Tajura Nuclear Research Centre, located in Libya, operates research reactors throughout the country with a nominal power of 10 MW.
Asian Bloc: In South Korea, which is the fifth-largest nuclear power user, there is currently a crisis over where radioactive waste should be stored. The country plans to build more reactor plants throughout the country to face this complication. A new concept being planned in India will utilize field experimental data to establish stability within the disposal of radioactive products.
Questions to consider:
How might developing countries aim towards taking an advanced step when managing radioactive waste?
What alternative solutions are there to radioactive waste disposal that will have a minimal risk on the environment?
How might a country be able to change its route in terms of getting rid of dangerous substances and materials?
How do you tackle nuclear safety in a COVID-19 affected world, safely?
How might a country take steps towards changing the production processes of products that possess hazardous material?
“Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel - Energy European Commission.” Energy - European Commission, 22 Sept. 2020, ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/nuclear-energy/radioactive-waste-and-spent-fuel.
“Storage and Disposal of Radioactive Waste.” Storage and Disposal Options for Radioactive Waste - World Nuclear Association, www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-waste/storage-and-disposal-of-radioactive-waste.aspx.
“ International Nuclear Waste Disposal Concepts.” World, www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-wastes/international-nuclear-waste-disposal-concepts.aspx.
Khan, Shoukat, et al. “Radioactive Waste Management in a Hospital.” International Journal of Health Sciences, Qassim University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jan. 2010, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068798/.