By: Student Contributor<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, <\/span>Foreign Affairs<\/span><\/i> published an article titled, \u201cThe World Needs More Nuclear Power: Why the World Bank Needs to Get in the Game.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>The article<\/span><\/a> argues that in order to reach net-zero by 2050, the world needs to double its nuclear power capacity, and that the World Bank should help finance this expansion.\u00a0 The problem, the authors explain, is that the World Bank has a long-standing, self-imposed policy against financing nuclear projects.\u00a0 In defense of this policy, past World Bank presidents have cited political and safety issues associated with nuclear power, as well as a lack of technical expertise.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now,<\/span> the World Bank has welcomed a new president, <\/span>Ajay Banga<\/span><\/a>, amidst calls from multiple sectors for the World Bank to direct more resources towards environmental challenges.\u00a0 The change in leadership is an opportunity for the World Bank to reassess its anti-nuclear policy and to authorize its sub-agencies to fund nuclear projects.\u00a0 Nuclear is a safe, reliable, zero-carbon emitting technology and is one of the best tools we have to achieve our decarbonization goals.\u00a0 But nuclear is not only useful for mitigating climate change.\u00a0 There is another widespread environmental challenge that <\/span>hinders economic growth, spurs migration, and can give rise to conflict<\/span><\/a> \u2013 the lack of safe drinking water.\u00a0 Nuclear technology can be used to alleviate water scarcity, treat wastewater, and support sustainable water management practices.\u00a0 It is time for Atoms for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #6, and the World Bank should fund it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is difficult to think of a more universally important resource than water.\u00a0 It is the most basic human need.\u00a0 Yet 2.2 billion people in the world today lack access to safely managed drinking water.\u00a0 SDG 6 aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, and several of its targets are due by 2030. While some progress has been made on these targets, there is still much to be done.\u00a0 The UN estimates the rate of progress needs to increase <\/span>6 times<\/span><\/a> the current rate in order to meet the targets.\u00a0 At the current rate, 1.6 billion people will still lack access to safe drinking water in 2030.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nuclear technology can play a role in closing these progress gaps in several ways.\u00a0 The first and probably best-known way is by powering desalination plants.\u00a0 There are 16,000 desalination plants in 177 countries turning seawater into freshwater through evaporation or reverse osmosis.\u00a0 Millions of people already rely on desalinated water for <\/span>drinking, cooking, and washing<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Nuclear has long been recognized as a source of power for this energy-intensive process, and has been used by <\/span>Japan, Kazakhstan, and India<\/span><\/a>, among others.\u00a0 By using nuclear power instead of fossil fuels, we can avoid adding more greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, so that we can make progress on SDG 6 without sacrificing progress on other environmental goals.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nuclear technology can also be used to treat wastewater.\u00a0 Gamma ray and electron beam radiation break down microorganisms and chemical pollutants in water and reduce color and odor, making the water reusable or safe for discharge into the environment.\u00a0 Conventional methods of treating wastewater involve using chemicals, which create a secondary form of waste.\u00a0 Radiation techniques do not create any waste and can treat more water in less time, providing cost benefits in the long run.\u00a0 These techniques can be used in various industries, too. For example, gamma and electron beam radiation are used to treat wastewater from the garment industry in <\/span>China, South Korea, and Brazil<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 One electron beam facility in China has the capacity to treat 30,000 m<\/span>3<\/span> of wastewater per day, preventing 4.5 million m<\/span>3<\/span> of water \u2013 equivalent to the needs of 100,000 people \u2013 from being taken from the local river annually.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Another nuclear technology being applied to water resource management is <\/span>isotopic analysis<\/span><\/a>, which is the study of the isotopic compositions of materials to understand their age and origins.\u00a0 For example, samples of groundwater or glacial melt can be analyzed and compared to other samples to determine the rate at which these water resources are being depleted or replenished, allowing for better management practices.\u00a0 Isotopic analysis can also be used to trace pollutants, like sewage, fertilizer, and pesticides, in water systems, enabling people to address the origin of the pollution.\u00a0 In fact, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is constructing a new <\/span>Isotope Hydrology Laboratory<\/span><\/a> as part of its newly launched Global Water Analysis Laboratory Network, indicating the importance of this technology.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, the numerous applications and benefits of nuclear technology for sustainable water resource management are out of reach for many countries.\u00a0 The cost of constructing a large infrastructure project involving nuclear technology is significant, and there are also ongoing costs associated with maintaining the facility, training the workforce, and supporting the regulatory framework.\u00a0 As <\/span>\u201cthe world\u2019s largest multilateral source of financing for water in developing countries,\u201d<\/span><\/a> and part of the UN system, the World Bank is the logical financier for applying nuclear technology to SDG#6.\u00a0 It can leverage its connections with other development banks and the private sector to provide grants and low-interest loans.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n An absence of multilateral financing for nuclear projects has meant that countries interested in developing civil nuclear capability have increasingly turned to authoritarian countries like Russia and China, which use the provision of civil nuclear assistance as a tool of statecraft, for financing and technology.\u00a0 The World Bank\u2019s purported lack of expertise in the nuclear field should not be a barrier \u2013 the group routinely partners with other organizations and outside experts on large projects.\u00a0 As part of the UN system, the World Bank can call on the IAEA to provide the necessary expertise in nuclear science and technology.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To be sure, some lenders may take issue with a reversal in long-standing policy or the use of nuclear technologies in general.\u00a0 However, the time is right for change.\u00a0 The promise of nuclear technology for mitigating environmental challenges is receiving more support than ever, and new leadership at the World Bank can encourage new ways of thinking.\u00a0 More than anything, the basic human need for water should motivate us to pursue every feasible mechanism for achieving universal sustainable water resource management.\u00a0 It is time for the World Bank to embrace the technical solution of Atoms for SDG #6.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By: Student Contributor Earlier this year, Foreign Affairs published an article titled, \u201cThe World Needs More Nuclear Power: Why the World Bank Needs to Get…<\/p>\n