… NEWS MEDIA AND DAYBOOK ADVISORY FOR APRIL 23, 2024 …
REPORT: NATIONAL SECURITY RISKS OF NEW NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
Small Modular Reactor Projects Fuel National and International Security Risks
WASHINGTON, D.C. – NEWS ADVISORY – A new report from nuclear expert Sharon Squassoni from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University (GW) analyzes the national security risks of new nuclear reactor projects proposed for the U.S. and abroad. The GW report will be released during a live video-based news event on Tuesday, April 23rd.
WHY
Renewed interest in nuclear energy as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions led to the United States and 21 other countries pledging in 2023 to triple nuclear energy by 2050. They devoted zero attention to the national security implications of such a huge expansion. Drone strikes against Ukrainian nuclear power plants are the most recent example of nuclear plant vulnerabilities, but other national security risks will accompany significant nuclear growth, including nuclear weapons proliferation, energy insecurity and nuclear terrorism. Small modular reactors will not reduce those risks.
WHO
News event speakers will be:
·Report author Sharon Squassoni, research professor, Elliott School of International Affairs. After serving in the State Department, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency and the Congressional Research Service, Squassoni has focused research on reducing risks from nuclear energy and nuclear weapons at GWU. A member of Pugwash, she sits on the boards of the PIR Center, the Wisconsin Project, and the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation. She recently co-founded the Climate-Security Initiative.
·Jane Nakano and Dr. Mariana Budjeryn will comment on the report. Nakano is senior fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies and an expert on energy and climate change. Budjeryn is senior researcher at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center and author of Inheriting the Bomb: The Collapse of the USSR and the Nuclear Disarmament of Ukraine.
·Stephanie Cooke, former editor of Nuclear Intelligence Weekly and author of In Mortal Hands: A Cautionary History of the Nuclear Age, will moderate the session.
WHAT/WHEN
A live, two-way video-based news conference with full Q&A on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at 1 p.m. EDT. A streaming version of the news event will be available later that same day at bit.ly/NewNuclearSecurityReport.
WHERE
RSVP to participate in the news event by registering here. Reporters will be provided a link to participate directly in the event, including the Q&A period. Reporters who elect to participate by a traditional dial-up phone call will be in a listen-only mode for the Q&A period and can pose questions after the fact. The Q&A period will be reserved for members of the news media only.
MEDIA CONTACT:
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The Elliott School is one of the world’s leading schools of international affairs. Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., its mission is to educate the next generation of international leaders, conduct research that advances understanding of important global issues and engage the policy community in the United States and around the world.
