KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22 (Bernama) -- Malaysia strongly believes no country, regardless of political ideologies, racial composition or religious inclinations, should be deprived of the right to acquire or develop new technologies.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaludin Jarjis said knowledge-rich countries should not deliberately create barriers that prevented less knowledge-endowed nations to strive for scientific and technological progress.
"It saddens me that one of our fellow OIC (Organisation of the Islamic Conference) member states is being prevented from developing nuclear technology for its own economic and social well-being," he said at the 12th General Assembly of the OIC Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday.
The text of his speech was made available to BERNAMA.
Dr Jamaludin said even when the widespread use of the Information and Communications Technology had made accessing global knowledge much easier, there were other dimensions, political and social, that might obstruct the ability of developing countries to advance in science and technology.
This, he noted, had widened the gap between the knowledge-rich countries and the knowledge-poor countries.
"We cannot allow such a situation to dampen our nations' goals to harness scientific and technological advancements to enhance the social well-being of the ummah," he added.
-- BERNAMA
Nuclear Energy May Be Back in Vogue
Nuclear energy in combination with renewable sources of energy represented a safe alternative to fossil fuels.
Expectations of a sharp rise in energy demand and the risk of climate change are pushing many countries to return to the idea of nuclear power, the head of the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Even the most conservative estimates predict at least a doubling of energy usage by mid-century, Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the IAEA, told a conference on nuclear energy in the 21st century.
He said any discussion of the energy sector Òmust begin by acknowledging the expected substantial growth in energy demand in the coming decadesÒ.
It was unclear what role nuclear power would play, though it appeared to be an increasingly important one, he said.
ÒAll indicators show that an increased level of emphasis on subjects such as fast growing energy demands, security of energy supply, and the risk of climate change are driving a reconsideration, in some quarters, of the need for greater investment in nuclear power,Ò ElBaradei said.
ÒThe IAEAÕs low projection, based on the most conservative assumptions, predicts 427 gigawatts of global nuclear energy capacity in 2020, the equivalent of 127 more 1,000 megawatt nuclear plants than previous projections,Ò he said, Reuters reported.
ElBaradei pointed to nuclear energy policy plans in China, Finland, the United States and possibly Poland as proof that nuclear power may be returning to vogue.
But he warned despite an improved atomic energy industry: ÒNuclear power was dealt a heavy blow by the tragedy of the 1986 Chernobyl accident, a blow from which the reputation of the nuclear industry has never fully recovered.Ò
The explosion at the Chernobyl plant in then-Soviet Ukraine, the worldÕs worst civil nuclear accident, spewed a cloud of radioactivity across Europe and has been blamed for thousands of deaths from radiation-linked illness. More than 100,000 people had to be resettled.
On the topic of climate change and the threat posed by greenhouse gases, ElBaradei said nuclear energy in combination with renewable sources of energy represented a safe alternative to fossil fuels.
ÒNuclear power emits virtually no greenhouse gases. The complete nuclear power chain, from uranium mining to waste disposal, and including reactor and facility construction, emits only 2-6 grams of carbon per kilowatt hour,Ò he said.
ÒThis is about the same as wind and solar power and one to two orders below coal, oil and even natural gas.Ò
The Shifting Sands of Nuclear Public Opinion
16 February 2006
When fashion magazine Elle lists nuclear energy among its top ten "cool, new things" for 2006, you know public opinion is shifting. Scott Peterson, Vice-President of Communications at the Nuclear Energy Institute, told an industry conference in Vienna that rising energy prices had triggered a more popular and positive view of nuclear power.
In the United States at least, support appears to be growing for an industry long haunted by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident. A survey conducted last year by the Nuclear Energy Institute found that 70% of the 1000 American«s surveyed were in favour of nuclear energy. Two thirds of those surveyed said that they would find it acceptable if a new reactor was built at an existing site.
In a separate survey, the Institute asked over 1000 people living within a 10-mile radius of 64 nuclear power stations how they felt. Over 8o% were in favour of nuclear energy. While seventy-six percent of residents said it would be acceptable to add a new reactor to an existing site.
"The poll«s results show that support for new nuclear plants is strong among those residents who live near nuclear plants. This bodes well for the prospect of new plant construction, particularly for those companies considering adding new reactors at existing nuclear plant sites," Mr Peterson said.
As consumers are hit by escalating oil and gas costs they are taking a renewed look at nuclear energy, Mr. Peterson said. Other driving factors include: energy supply and demand; geopolitical consequences; climate change and clean air. Public opinion holds safety and waste issues as the main concerns about this energy source, Mr. Peterson told the annual Conference on Public Information Materials Exchange (PIME) in Vienna, 12-16 February 2006. Some 400 public information specialist from the nuclear industry worldwide met to discuss topics ranging from crisis communications to the future of nuclear energy.
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