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  • About RSIS
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      • Welcome Message
      • Board of Governors
      • Staff Profiles
        • Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
        • Dean’s Office
        • Management
        • Distinguished Fellows
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        • Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
        • Visiting Fellows
        • Adjunct Fellows
        • Administrative Staff
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      • Endowed Professorships
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      • Getting to RSIS
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        • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
        • Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
        • Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
        • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
      • Research Programmes
        • National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
        • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
      • [email protected] Newsletter
      • Other Research
        • Future Issues And Technology (FIT)
        • Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
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      • Overview
      • MSc (Asian Studies)
      • MSc (International Political Economy)
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      • MSc (Strategic Studies)
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      • PhD Programme
      • Exchange Partners and Programmes
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    S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Think Tank and Graduate School Ponder The Improbable Since 1966
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    • RSIS
    • Workshop on Nuclear Energy and Human Security

    Workshop on Nuclear Energy and Human Security

    23 Apr 2010 09:00 - 18:00
    Traders Hotel
    Type: Conferences / Workshops
    By Invitation
    Google Calendar

    23 April 2010

    Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre Hotel

     

    Executive Summary

    Energy security is more than just the security of supplies; it is multifaceted and intertwined with economic, environmental and socio-political issues, among others. For the rapidly developing Asia-Pacific, alternative energy sources represent feasible solutions towards balancing socio-economic growth and environmental protection. In particular, nuclear energy has been viewed in recent years as an attractive option in the region.

    The aim of this workshop on Nuclear Energy and Human Security was to bring out the complexities involved in the expansion of nuclear energy usage. These complexities were brought out through the debates articulated here on the pros and cons of adopting nuclear energy, from the environmental, economic and security perspective. In addition, the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in nuclear energy policymaking, which play a vital role in centering the issue on human security concerns, was discussed.

    Notwithstanding the lower probability of nuclear accidents compared to that of fossil fuel-fired power plants and even plane crashes, past nuclear accidents, such as Chernobyl in 1986, have shaped public perceptions towards nuclear energy. The advent of sophisticated nuclear technologies and risk management measures also did not end intense debates on pertinent issues – environmental, economic, and security – revolving around nuclear energy.

    Nuclear operations cannot be deemed environmentally and economically risk-free. Rather, these issues remain contentious due to lack of data and scientific consensus. Since a complete moratorium on nuclear expansion is almost impossible to achieve, the environmental and economic risks entailed in nuclear operations need to be better understood and managed in a broader context involving other energy alternatives.

    Given the salience of nuclear terrorism risk and weak global nuclear security regimes, the expansion of nuclear energy use encompasses potential security issues for the Asia-Pacific. A coherent international framework based on greater interstate cooperation and coordination to secure existing inventories of nuclear armaments and fissile materials is needed and it will have significant ramifications for the region.  

    Beyond the technical aspects of nuclear operations, more research focus in nuclear energy policy planning needs to be placed on addressing other equally crucial areas that could also shape public perceptions towards nuclear energy. A culture of safety needs to be inculcated, especially in nuclear-aspiring Southeast Asia, whose track record of industrial safety has been less than perfect.

    A decision-making culture espousing transparency and accountability to the public can go a long way towards enhancing sound nuclear energy planning. Multiple stakeholdership involving the government, but also nuclear industry, scholars and CSOs, is essential for ensuring holistic nuclear energy policymaking.

    Rather than adopting a partisan approach to nuclear energy, a sustainable and diverse energy portfolio that considers a whole range of possible alternative energy sources is the way forward. In this holistic equation, nuclear energy remains a viable option whose risks need further research and better understanding in order to devise sound policies to better regulate its expanding use. It is hoped that the debates fleshed out in the workshop will help policymakers arrive at policy decisions more effectively and persons interested in nuclear energy understand the debated issues more thoroughly.

    Click here to read the workshop report.

    To view conversation videos, please click here

    Presentations and speeches delivered at the Workshop

    Session 1: The Environmental Aspects of Nuclear Energy

    Presentations by

    Dr T S Gopi Rethinaraj

    Assistant Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore

    Associate Professor Simon Tay

    Chairman, Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA), Singapore

    Commentary by

    Dr Michael Quah

    Principal Fellow, Energy Studies Institute (ESI), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore

    Session 2: The Economic Aspects of Nuclear Energy

    Presentations by

    Professor Kazuaki Matsui

    Executive Director, Institute of Applied Energy, Japan

    Dr Mark Diesendorf

    Deputy Director, Institute of Environmental Studies, University of New South Wales, Australia

    Commentary by

    Dr Chang Youngho

    Assistant Professor, Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

    Session 3: The Security Aspects of Nuclear Energy

    Presentations by

    Dr Jor-Shan Choi

    Professor, Global Centre of Excellence Program, Nuclear Education and Research Initiative, University of Tokyo, Japan

    Mr Miles Pomper

    Senior Research Associate, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Washington DC, United States of America

    – Joint paper with

    Mr Cole Harvey

    Research Associate, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Washington DC, United States of America

    Commentary by

    Dr Ron Huisken

    Senior Fellow, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University, Australia

    Session 4: Nuclear Energy and the Roles of Civil Society Organisations

    Presentation by

    Associate Professor Mely Caballero-Anthony

    Head, Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

    and

    Mr Kevin Christopher D.G. Punzalan

    Research Analyst, Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

    – Joint paper with

    Ms Lina A. Alexandra

    Researcher, Department of International Relations, Centre for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), Jakarta, Indonesia

    Commentary by

    Dr Teresita Cruz-del Rosario

    Senior Research Fellow, Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore

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    Workshop on Nuclear Energy and Human Security

    23 April 2010
    Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre Hotel

     

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