Nov
5
Nuclear Energy Futures: Implications and Options for Global Governance
The Nuclear Energy Futures Project is a partnership between the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and the Canadian Centre for Treaty Compliance (CCTC) at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, Ottawa. It is chaired by CIGI Distinguished Fellow and former UN Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette and directed by CIGI Senior Fellow and CCTC Director Trevor Findlay.
Aim of the Project
The aim of the project is to investigate the implications of the purported nuclear energy revival for nuclear safety, security and nonproliferation over the coming two decades and to make recommendations for consideration by the international community in the realm of global governance.
Research Objectives
The project has four main objectives:
Calculate the likelihood of a significant nuclear revival occurring in the coming decades
Determine what kind of revival this is likely to be, expressed in terms of various alternative likely scenarios
Assess the implications of the various scenarios for nuclear safety, security and nonproliferation and for existing global governance arrangements, and
Make recommendations to the international community and to Canada as to how global governance should be shaped to cope with the nuclear future.
Project Activities
To stimulate interest in the project, build networks and facilitate the project’s research several conferences and workshops have been held or are being planned, including one in Sydney, Australia in April 2008; one in Waterloo, Canada in November 2008; and another in Stockholm, Sweden in early 2009. Several seminars are being held involving various nuclear stakeholders, including the nuclear industry, and technical experts. Numerous studies have also been commissioned or produced in-house.
Main Project Outcome
A comprehensive report to be written, compiled and edited by the Project Director and staff will be released in September 2009. The report will be published electronically and in hard copy. It will be promoted worldwide to relevant stakeholders including governments, international organizations, the nuclear industry and civil society.