1. World problems
  2. Inadequate facilities for disposal of nuclear warheads

Inadequate facilities for disposal of nuclear warheads

  • Inadequate safety of fissile materials from dismantled warheads

Nature

Agreements to reduce nuclear arms means that ways of safely neutralizing some 12,000 high yield atomic warheads have to be found. There are four things governments cans do: (a) Keep the warheads intact, violating the treaty or at least violating the intent of the treaty. (b) Use the fissionable material for a new generation of weapons, which would achieve exactly the opposite of a nuclear arms treaty. (c) Store the plutonium, which would become the target of terrorist and tempt weapons makers for tens of thousands of years. And (d) burning the material in nuclear power generating reactors, producing nuclear waste. All but the last option would be a waste of resources and the latter would produce nuclear waste threatening the environment.

Broader

Aggravates

Strategy

Value

Safety
Yet to rate
Inadequacy
Yet to rate

SDG

Sustainable Development Goal #7: Affordable and Clean EnergySustainable Development Goal #11: Sustainable Cities and CommunitiesSustainable Development Goal #12: Responsible Consumption and ProductionSustainable Development Goal #16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions

Metadata

Database
World problems
Type
(E) Emanations of other problems
Subject
  • Defence » Arms
  • Fundamental sciences » Atomic physics » Atomic physics
  • Fundamental sciences » Material
  • Societal problems » Inadequacy
  • Societal problems » Safety
  • Societal problems » Waste
  • Content quality
    Presentable
     Presentable
    Language
    English
    Last update
    Oct 4, 2020