The presence of the United States
and United Kingdom is the first time
Nuclear Weapons States have
had a presence in the Humanitarian
Initiative process.
Humanitarian Impact conference Fact Sheet – the place of international law
There are gaps remaining in any attempt
to provide a legal umbrella for protection
from nuclear weapons.
Humanitarian Impact Conference Factsheet – Miscalculation and Miscommunication
This factsheet examines the possibility of an accidental nuclear war; what happens when the lines of communication are broken down, either due to technical or human reasons.
Humanitarian Impact Conference Factsheet – A Brief History
The fourth factsheet sums up the Humanitarian Impact movement and provides links to more details.
Humanitarian Impact Conference Factsheet – Risk Drivers
This third factsheet examines the state of the world when it comes to nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons policy.
Humanitarian Impact Conference Factsheet – Socioeconomic Consequences
This second factsheet for journalists providing background and context in preparation for the Vienna Conference on Nuclear Weapons, 8 and 9 December explores the consequences a nuclear detonation would have for the global economy and on society
Atomic Reporters to Improve its Game
Atomic Reporters is in business to help journalists bring a little more authority to covering nuclear issues by providing training and encouraging discussion. Among the schools of science, nuclear is a Cinderella yet it is pivotal to global security and safety.
To achieve its goals Atomic Reporters links journalists with experts as it seeks to broaden understanding, a two way street indeed. It also offers comment on the hazards journalists may face in providing evidence based reporting for their readers and viewers because of the wide range of views being expressed.
Last week we posted an “Ombudsman Column” called “Curveballs, Sliders and the Little Pitches that Start Big Wars.” Because it drew on a wide community of experts and journalists it was bylined ‘ Atomic Reporters.’
This tongue-in-cheek effort seeking to illuminate some of the very real disagreements about matters of fact swirling around the Iran nuclear file was deemed too harsh and caused offence and upset to people named in the report, for which we express regret.
We are a newly minted organization unique in our commitment to supporting journalists covering this challenging file. We try to get it right but don’t always succeed. When style detracts from the serious content we are trying to address clearly we’ve not succeeded and we will strive to do better.
Thanks for your support: Peter Rickwood, Atomic Reporters founder & director
Humanitarian Impact Conference Factsheet – Environmental Consequences
Atomic Reporters will be releasing a series of nuclear factsheets in preparation for the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, which takes place between 8 and 9 December 2014. The first of these explores the environmental impact of nuclear weapons.
More factsheets be posted in the lead up to the conference.
The SLC bronco bucks
State level concepts, or SLC, have been a burr under the IAEA’s saddle as it seeks to introduce a broader approach to its conduct of safeguards to verify states’ compliance with their obligations under the Treaty On The Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
The SLC is a comprehensive approach to implementing safeguards that emphasizes using all available and relevant information about a state’s nuclear program to guide the Agency’s safeguards activities in that state, instead of focusing on specific facilities.
A safeguards implementation plan for a specific state that uses this concept is called a state-level approach.
According to the IAEA, applying state-level approaches allows it to more efficiently use its limited resources and focus more on detection of possible undeclared activities.
The Agency says that the SLC approach is more efficient and makes better use of its resources by using all available and relevant information about a state’s nuclear program instead of focusing on specific facilities.
There has been resistance from several IAEA member states to SLC. At the start of its Safeguards Symposium, 20 – 24 October, regrettably closed to media, the following statement was delivered by the head of Russia’s delegation Grigory Berdennikov.
Atomic Reporters on Scientific American
John Horgan of Scientific American has posted an in-depth interview with Atomic Reporters founder Peter Rickwood today. The interview goes into the history of our organization, why we do what we do, and some of Peter’s thoughts on contemporary nuclear topics. Read the piece on SciAm’s blog: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/2014/10/13/atomic-reporters-seeks-to-curb-egregious-misinformation-on-nuclear-perils/
Atomic Reporters 