Thompson, Gordon (26 March 2003). Viewgraphs for Sellafield—A Safe Future? Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Resource and Security Studies. (8 pages).

This document contains the overhead viewgraph illustrations accompanying a presentation by Gordon Thompson (Executive Director, IRSS) at a Panel Discussion Sponsored by the European Parliament Working Group on Nuclear Safety titled “Sellafield—A Safe Future?” held at the European Parliament, Brussels Room on March 26, 2003.  

The titles of the slides are: (1) Safety of Civilian Nuclear Facilities; (2) Major Activities at Sellafield; (3) Effects of Unplanned Radioactive Release at Sellafield; (4) Potential Release from Liquid HLW Tanks at Sellafield; (5) symmetric Warfare & Civilian Nuclear Facilities; (6) Nuclear Proliferation, International Security & Sellafield; and (7) Recommended Actions.  

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Thompson, Gordon (January 2003). Robust Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel: A Neglected Issue of Homeland Security. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Resource and Security Studies. (83 pages, Executive Summary 7 pages).

This report , commissioned by the Citizens Awareness Network,   sets forth a strategy for robust storage of US spent   nuclear fuel.   The prevailing practice of storing most US spent fuel under water in high-density pools poses a high risk of maliciously-induced release of radioactive material.   Additionally, dry-storage modules of independent spent fuel storage installations at nuclear power plants are not designed to resist determined acts of malice or insanity.   This report presents a detailed strategy to address both wet and dry storage risks.   This strategy should be seen as a major element of our homeland security.   Both the executive summary and the complete report can be downloaded here.

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Thompson, Gordon (October 2002). Status and Prospects of Sustainable Engineering Education in Some American Universities. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Resource and Security Studies. (8 pages).

This paper was presented at the Conference, “Engineering Education in Sustainable Development”, held at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, during the period 24-25 October 2002.   It reviews US standards and proclamations related to sustainable engineering education of undergraduates, and the practice of such education in three US universities: Boston University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Tufts University.   A major purpose of the paper is to contribute to the development of generally-accepted criteria and methodologies that could, ultimately, be used to assess sustainable engineering programs at universities in the United States and elsewhere.

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Thompson, Gordon and Paula Gutlove (September 2002). Health, Human Security, and Social Justice. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Resource and Security Studies. (26 pages).

This paper begins with a general discussion of human security, a social justice organizing principle that places the welfare of people at the core of programmes and policies. The paper then focuses on the role of health and social justice as major, mutually-reinforcing pillars of human security.   Health can be a unifying dimension for human security because it provides a context within which to build an array of partnerships and a unique opportunity for deeper understanding and implementation of human security.   Health-related programmes can provide an important neutral platform to address fundamental obstacles to peace because health is universally valued.   They can be a model for collaborative action and can create the sustainable community infrastructure that is essential for social justice and human security.  The potential benefits of pursuing health and social justice within a human-security framework are illustrated by experience with two practical endeavours in the Balkans and in the North Caucasus.   Finally, the paper outlines a strategy for capturing such benefits on a global scale.

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Thompson, Gordon (7 September 2002). Thompson Declaration in Support of a Petition by Avila Valley Advisory Council, San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, Peg Pinard, et al. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Resource and Security Studies. (36 pages).

This document is a declaration by the author before the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to support the request of the San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace that the NRC consider new and more rigorous measures to protect the public against the threat that acts of malice or insanity will release radioactive material from nuclear facilities at the Diablo Canyon site.   Their Petition addresses two aspects of nuclear-facility operation at the Diablo Canyon site:   first, the pending application by the site licensee for a license for an Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) at the site, and second, the current operation of the two nuclear generation units at the site.  

The declaration has twelve sections.   After the introduction, Section II addresses the author’s professional qualifications.   Then, Section III provides some information about the Diablo Canyon nuclear facilities, including the proposed ISFSI.   Section IV provides a generic discussion of the history of, and potential for, acts of malice or insanity at nuclear facilities.   This is followed, in Section V, by a generic discussion of the protection provided by NRC regulations against acts of malice or insanity at nuclear facilities.   Section VI discusses the vulnerability of Diablo Canyon nuclear facilities to such acts.   Then,   Section VII outlines the potential offsite consequences of such acts at Diablo Canyon.   Section VIII describes the types of measure that are available to protect the public against acts of malice or insanity at nuclear facilities, including those at Diablo Canyon.   Section IX sets forth a process for consideration of such measures.   Section X sets forth an approach to managing sensitive information about the vulnerability of nuclear facilities.   Then, Section XI describes a set of interim measures that could improve public protection against acts of malice or insanity at Diablo Canyon.   Conclusions are presented in Section XII.  

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Gutlove, Paula (26 April 2002). Consultation on Health and Human Security: Summary Report on the Consultation.Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Resource and Security Studies. (21 pages). This report describes a landmark consultation on issues of health and human security, which took place in Cairo, 15-17 April 2002.

The consultation was co-sponsored by three UN agencies, WHO, UNFPA, and UNAIDS, and was organized by WHO. The consultation was the third of three meetings on health and human security. The importance of holding the consultation in the Eastern Mediterranean region was underscored by the numerous and serious threats to both health and human security that exist in the region. Health was acknowledged by all participants to be a cornerstone of social, economic, and political well being.

The consultation was organized in four phases. First, it provided a foundation for understanding the concept of human security. Second, it explored the relationship between health and human security. Third, it examined health and human security concerns in the region. Fourth, participants worked together to develop recommendations for action, utilizing a health and human security approach, in the region and elsewhere. These recommendations were discussed and some were endorsed. The report addresses each of these areas. In addition, a consultation programme and a list of consultation participants are provided in the appendices.

Gutlove, Paula (April 2002). Cairo Consultation on Health and Human Security. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Resource and Security Studies. (11 pages, 3 appendices).

This report summarizes a landmark consultation organized by WHO to address issues of health and human security that took place in Cairo, 15-17 April 2002. This consultation was the first interagency forum to address the connection between health and a concept that is receiving increasing attention — human security.   The consultation provided a working model of the multidisciplinary, comprehensive nature of the human security approach. The three-day meeting brought together 50 participants, including representatives from a range of UN agencies, from states in the Eastern Mediterranean region, and from other regions including Western Europe and North America.  

The consultation was organized into four phases to pursue the following objectives:   First, it provided a foundation for understanding the concept of human security.   Second, it explored the relationship between health and human security.   Third, it examined health and human security concerns in the region. Fourth, participants worked together to develop recommendations for action, utilizing a health and human security approach, in the region and elsewhere.   These recommendations were discussed and some were endorsed.   The report is divided into sections reflecting the four phases of the consultation.

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Thompson, Gordon and Paula Gutlove (April 2002). Health and Human Security: A Technical Background Document for Discussions on Policies and Programs.

Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Resource and Security Studies. (28 pages).In this technical background document, the authors summarize some of the main strands of thinking about human security, and suggest a framework for the practical application of the concept in the context of health care. The concept of human security is being widely discussed in international humanitarian and diplomatic circles, and health is recognized as an important domain of human security. A human security perspective can add value to pre-existing health strategies and programs, by mobilizing new resources and partnerships and by linking health programs with programs that address related objectives. Application of the human security perspective to health programs and related programs could occur at a global, regional or national scale. At each of these scales, a conceptual framework is needed to guide the planning and implementation of health and human security initiatives. An appropriate framework for regional initiatives could have four distinct but mutually supporting program elements: (1) policy and strategy, (2) country-level program opportunities, (3) research, training and technical collaboration, and (4) outreach and promotion.

Preparation of this document was partly supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), in connection with a WHO Consultation on Health and Human Security held in Cairo in April 2002.

Thompson, Gordon (3 January 2002). Civilian Nuclear Facilities as Weapons for an Enemy. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Resource and Security Studies. (8 pages).

This submission to the House of Commons Defence Committee addresses the potential role of civilian nuclear facilities as radiological weapons for an enemy of the UK.   The submission does not purport to provide a thorough analysis, but rather to bring a neglected subject to the Committee’s attention.   The report describes relevant nuclear facilities, citing the B215 facility at Sellafield as an example.   It relates how a nuclear facility can be used as a weapon and the effects of a radioactive release.   It then explains our present understanding of the threat and how it can be addressed,   concluding with recommendations to the Committee.

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Thompson, Gordon (September 2001). Medical Network for Social Reconstruction in the Former Yugoslavia: A Survey of Participants’ Views on the Network’s Goals and Achievements. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Institute for Resource and Security Studies. (13 pages, 3 appendices).

This report surveys the views of selected participants in the activities of the Medical Network for Social Reconstruction in the Former Yugoslavia, regarding the Network’s goals and achievements in the past (especially 1997-2001) and its goals for the future (especially 2001-2003). Participants’ views were obtained through interviews conducted during an international conference held by the Network at Neum, Bosnia, during the period 15-18 June 2001, on the theme “Children and Youth in Post-War Situations”.   The information provided by this survey can help to guide the future development of the Network.   Specifically, it will help participants to learn from the experience of the Network, and to incorporate that learning into the planning of future Network activities.   The Major conclusions find a is strong consensus about many of the Network’s goals, but there are also differences of opinion that should be discussed.   In addition, the Network’s future structure is a high-priority issue for discussion and it would benefit from the routine use of structured learning.

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