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Benchmark
II - The Current State of Affairs
(2007 - 2008)
(Benchmark_II.PDF
or Benchmark_II.doc)
- In Benchmark
I, you examined the objectives from the point of view of the scientific
& environmental; social & cultural; economic; political &
geopolitical domains to gain a comprehensive understanding and comparison
of conventional energy, and nuclear energy in different countries
in the world. You began to define issues related to nuclear proliferation,
and nuclear terrorism.
- In Benchmark
II you will apply what you have already learned, and you will examine
the objectives from the point of view of the scientific & environmental;
social & cultural; economic; political & geopolitical domains
to gain a comprehensive understanding of national and international
controls of nuclear energy, the spread (proliferation) of nuclear
energy in the world today, and some of the issues involved with the
use and spread of nuclear energy.
Objective
1:
Your task is to clearly
demonstrate, in a carefully constructed project, an understanding of national
and international controls of nuclear energy. Your project will explain
the laws and organizations that monitor nuclear energy in your own country.
Additionally, your project will explain multi-lateral treaties and international
organizations related to nuclear energy. The project must be your own
work with clear and correct citations from any work borrowed from others.
All work not your own, including photos, graphics, multimedia, charts,
and graphs must be credited within your text and in a bibliography.
Suggested
Activities:
Note that
these are suggested activities; they are not your tasks. You may choose
to look at any, all, or none of them. The information you gain from
doing these activities will help you to construct your project.
1. Compare and
contrast, with examples, the laws and agencies that regulate nuclear
energy in your country and those of one other country. For example,
in the US, the agency is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
2. Demonstrate
how these laws and agencies operate.
3. Identify how
your national regulatory agency promotes the peaceful use of nuclear
energy.
4. Build your
own database so that you will be able to compare and contrast the
multilateral treaties related to nuclear energy. Be able to show such
information as when these treaties were adopted and ratified, and
the major countries that have ratified these treaties and which ones
have not.
5. Differentiate
the articles of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) that promote
peaceful use of nuclear energy. Relate ways that the NPT promotes
peaceful use of nuclear energy and prevents proliferation.
6. Be able to
relate information about the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
including its role and history.
7. Familiarize
yourself with the “Atoms for Peace” speech, investigate
the historical background of the speech, and relate the role of the
IAEA.
8. Identify countries
that have violated the terms of nonproliferation treaties and agreements
and give the reasons these countries have given.
9. Identify countries
that have given up their nuclear weapons programs and their reasons
for doing so.
10. Compare and
contrast other treaties, conventions, or agreements that relate to
nuclear materials.
Objective
2:
Your task is to clearly
demonstrate, in a carefully constructed project, an understanding of the
international spread of nuclear energy to countries in the world that
have not had nuclear energy before. Your project will provide some of
the reasons why these countries are pursuing nuclear energy and whether
this pursuit might contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
The project must be your own work with clear and correct citations from
any work borrowed from others. All work not your own, including photos,
graphics, multimedia, charts, and graphs must be credited within your
text and in a bibliography.
Suggested
Activities
Note that these are
suggested activities; they are not your tasks. You may choose to look
at any, all, or none of them. The information you gain from doing
these activities will help you to construct your project.
1. Identify countries in
Asia, Africa, and the Middle East that have recently indicated their
interest in nuclear energy.
2. Relate why some of these
countries might be contemplating military nuclear programs.
3. Relate how nuclear proliferation
in these areas would affect the stability of these regions.
4. Identify countries that
could develop nuclear weapons.
5. Identify groups or organizations
that might use nuclear or radiological materials to make a terrorist
device.
Objective
3:
Your task is to clearly
demonstrate, in a carefully constructed project, an understanding of the
international challenges related to nuclear energy. Your project will
include the issues of benefit & risks, safety & security, the
issues of waste management, and the issue of nuclear terrorism. The project
must be your own work with clear and correct citations from any work borrowed
from others. All work not your own, including photos, graphics, multimedia,
charts, and graphs must be credited within your text and in a bibliography.
Suggested Activities:
Note that these are
suggested activities; they are not your tasks. You may choose to look
at any, all, or none of them. The information you gain from doing
these activities will help you to construct your project.
1. Compare and contrast
the risks and benefits of a new nuclear power plant in the area of
your home. You might want to consider population, environment, energy
demands, politics, etc.
2. Explain the probability
of nuclear accidents in various countries in the world, including
your own.
3. Identify possible causes
of nuclear accidents. For example, consider geological, technical,
and human factors.
4. Analyze and summarize
an actual nuclear accident.
5. Relate how domestic
controls in your country maintain the safety and security of nuclear
materials and locations.
6. Distinguish how international
controls (multilateral treaties) maintain the safety and security
of nuclear materials and locations.
7. Differentiate the elements
of safety and security in a nuclear power plant, including physical
protection.
8. Explain how nuclear
materials and/or spent nuclear fuel might be diverted to other uses.
9. Demonstrate different
ideas of how spent nuclear fuel might be contained.
10. Relate how one country
is reprocessing spent nuclear fuel.
11. Compare and contrast
the environmental issues (for example, environmental waste produced,
human health effects) related to nuclear energy and other forms of
energy production.
12. Describe methods used
to secure nuclear materials from unauthorized use.
13. Compare and contrast
the motivations a country might have for wanting a nuclear weapon
with those a terrorist or a terrorist organization might have for
using a nuclear or radiological device.
14. Explain the risks involved
in the transportation and storage of nuclear materials.
At the end of Benchmark II
you will have created three original projects with internal citations
and bibliographies both of which demonstrate your knowledge and understanding
of the objectives of this Benchmark. Your projects will be your own
work. When you refer to the work of others, you must have complete citations,
and the work must also be in your bibliography. All work not your own,
including photos, graphics, multimedia, charts, and graphs must be credited.
You must have a bibliography of the resources you have cited.
This benchmark
is available as either a PDF
or Word file.
About Benchmarks
Benchmark One
Benchmark Three
http://www.criticalissuesforum.org/bmk08_2.html
updated 03 January 2008
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