nuclear technology for a sustainable future (iaea)

7/31/2019 Nuclear Technology for a SUSTAINABLE FUTURE (IAEA)

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Nuclear Technology or a SUSTAINABLE FUTURE | 1

Nuclear

Technologyor aSUSTAINABLE

FUTURE

water

energy

food

ocean

health


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EvEry day, millions of pEoplE throughout thE world

bEnEfit from thE usE of nuclEar tEchnology


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Foreword by the IAEA Director General

Sustainable development requires

international cooperation and theeective use o technology.

The IAEA helps its Member States to

use nuclear technology or a broad

range o applications, rom generat-

ing electricity to increasing ood

production, rom ghting cancer to

managing resh water resources

and protecting the worlds seas and

oceans.

Despite the Fukushima Daiichi acci-

dent in March 2011, nuclear power

will remain an important option or

many countries. Use o nuclear

power will continue to grow in the

next ew decades, although growth

will be slower than was anticipatedbeore the accident.

The actors contributing to the

continuing interest in nuclear

power include increasing global

demand or energy, as well as con-

cerns about climate change, volatile

ossil uel prices and security o

energy supply. It will be dicult or

the world to achieve the twin goals

o ensuring sustainable energy sup-plies and curbing greenhouse gases

without nuclear power. It is up to

each country to choose its optimal

energy mix. The IAEA helps coun-

tries which opt or nuclear power to

use it saely and securely.

Every day, millions o people

throughout the world benet rom

the use o nuclear technology. The

IAEA helps to make these benets

available to developing countries

through its extensive Technical

Cooperation programme. For

instance, we provide assistance in

areas such as human health

(through our Programme o Action

or Cancer Therapy), animal health(we were active partners in the

successul global campaign to

eradicate the deadly cattle disease

rinderpest), ood, water and the

environment.

The IAEA contributes to the

development o global policies to

address the energy, ood, water and

environmental challenges the world

aces. We look orward to helping tomake Rio+20 a success.

This brochure provides an overview

o the many ways in which nuclear

technology is contributing to

building the uture we want. I hope

you will nd it useul.

Yukiya Amano

Director General

International Atomic Energy Agency

Nuclear Technology or a SUSTAINABLE FUTURE


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introduction

Nuclear technologies are used daily

to nd and protect sustainable

sources o resh water, produce

energy and ood, while providing

researchers the tools to study theoceans past and predict its uture.

The IAEA helps its 154 member

countries saely employ these tech-

nologies to ensure peace, health

and prosperity throughout the

world.

Population growth, accelerating

economic development, and

changing liestyles demand ever

more resources. Resource overuse

has begun to compromise natu-ral services such as biodiversity,

clean air, resh water and arable

land; a trend that threatens the

sustainability o development.

Natural services are inextricably

interlinked. Decisions related to

the management o a single

resource impacts others.

Yet, today at the national level,

uture land, water and energypolicies are usually planned by

separately operating institutions.

An integrated system is needed

to bring decision-makers together

to address the complex challenge

o designing development

policies or an uncertain uture.

Integrated solutions can resil-

iently adapt to a changing climate

and the natural resource

constraints that could exacerbate

existing inequalities.

To help Member State govern-

ments achieve greater adaptabil-

ity, the IAEA has developed a new

methodology or modelling these

complex interactions called

CLEWS (Climate, Land-use,

Energy and Water Strategies) thatallows simultaneous and cohesive

analysis o all these areas.

Increased access to sucient, sae

water is made possible through

nuclear techniques that map

ground water resources more

aordably and more quickly than

any other means, and thus

improve water managers ability

to sustain this irreplaceable

resource. Nuclear techniquesenhance the eciency o agricul-

tural irrigation, which uses 70% o

all reshwater resources.

Access to afordable energydirectly

improves human welare; current

projections oresee electricity

demand increasing by 60 to 100%

between today and 2030. Low

carbon sources o energy, such as

nuclear energy, minimize thegreenhouse gases emitted in

energy generation and mitigate

the negative impact o climatic

disruption on development. The

IAEA helps countries using or

introducing nuclear power to do

so saely, securely, economically

and sustainably. Its saety stand-

ards, assistance and reviews

increase saety or the benet o

human health and the environ-

ment. The IAEA also veries that

nuclear energy is only used or

peaceul purposes, directly

contributing to international

peace and security.

Young scientists come rom IAEA MemberStates around the world to expand theirknowledge through on-the-job training at MELsadvanced research acilities. Support or them is

provided through IAEA Coordinated Research

Projects, Internships and Technical Cooperation

Fellowships.

Nineteen Arican countries arenow part o the IAEAstechnical cooperation project thataims to promote drip irrigation or

high-value crops.



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Access to sustainable sources o

oodwill remain a preeminent

challenge in the decades to come.

Based upon current practice and

consumption, agricultural pro-

duction will have to increase by

about 70% by 2050 to meetdemand. Nuclear techniques are

used in developing countries to

increase production sustainably

by breeding improved crops,

enhancing livestock reproduction

and nutrition, as well as control-

ling animal and plant pests and

diseases. Post-harvest losses can

be reduced and saety increased

with nuclear technology. Soil can

be evaluated with nuclear tech-

niques to conserve and improvesoil productivity and water

management.

To better understand and protect

oceans, nuclear techniques are

used to monitor the oceans shit-

ing chemical balance caused by

ocean acidication that can stunt

and endanger coral and microor-

ganisms growth. This chemicalshit can limit the habitats and

disrupt the ood chain or the

species that supply up to a third

o all protein consumed by

humans. Nuclear techniques are

also powerul tools used to

acquire an accurate picture o the

oceans distant past. With an

improved understanding o past

climates, predictions about this

enormous, lie-sustaining realms

uture will be more accurate.

Health or millions o patients relies

upon the sae and efective

diagnosis and treatment o disease.

Nuclear techniques provide pre-

cise diagnostic inormation that is

o vital importance in detecting

and curing both inectious andnon-communicable diseases such

as cancer. Radiopharmaceuticals

are used to treat disease and to

enable diagnostic imaging.

Radiotherapy also employs

ocused radiation beams that are

essential in curing diseases. In the

developing world, inectious and

non-communicable diseases, as

well as malnutrition, create a

socio-economic burden that

threatens sustainability. The sae,well-coordinated use o nuclear

techniques to detect, diagnose

and treat disease and to combat

malnutrition contributes to

improved health and social

stability throughout the world.

Cancer deaths in the developingworld are expected to surpassthe collective toll o the three ill-

nesses targeted by the Millennium

Development Goals HIV/AIDS,

Tuberculosis and Malaria in 2017,

according to the World Health

Organization.


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a safE opErating spacE for humanity

Humans have become a major

shaping orce o the environment.

This orce that is uelled by the

growing demand or goods and

services overexploits naturalresources and ultimately leads to

the degradation o natural ecosys-

tems. Climate change amplies the

negative impact o our resource

overuse. Measures, such as irriga-

tion, desalination or the production

o biouels, that are designed to

help mitigate and adapt to these

climatic changes, are in themselves

resource-intensive.

Current demand and resource useprojections indicate that inclusive

and sustainable development in

the uture is threatened. The

United Nations Sustainable

Development Conerence, Rio+20,

may launch a process to better

dene a sae and more equitable

operating space or humanity that

denes how we can preserve the

environmental services upon which

uture generations depend, as wellas oering socio-economic

opportunity or all.

Solutions or sustainability

The linkages among the agricul-

tural, water, energy and environ-

mental sectors oer opportunitiesto apply nuclear technologies that

provide solutions to these complex

inter-related challenges. Cross-

sectoral planning increases the

eectiveness with which resources

are employed, providing an essen-

tial benet that supports sustaina-

bility. For instance, appropriate

planning, development and moni-

toring can ensure that crops are

bred to deliver as much nutrition as

possible while using as little waterand land as possible. Or, careul

analysis can identiy linked

constraints in ood and bioenergy

production as a result o water or

land resource limitations.

A leading priority in low income

countries is to nd the means to

enhance water, energy and ood

security, while contending with low

resource productivity, in particularlow agricultural yields, natural

resource degradation, rapid popu-

lation growth and weak institu-

tional capacity. To help Member

States develop integrated solutions

or sustainable development

challenges, the IAEA has created a

tool that models these complex

interactions called CLEWS (Climate,

Land-use, Energy and Water

Strategies).

CLEWS allows planners to conduct

a simultaneous and cohesive

analysis o these systems.

Access to enough resh, sae water is o paramount importance to ensure sustainabledevelopment. The IAEA helps Member States develop science-based inormationand technical skills to improve their understanding and management o water resources.

By tracking the isotopes o water, scientists can quickly obtain valuable inormation that

may otherwise require decades o hydrological data collection to gather. Working with

partners in government and the United Nations system, the IAEA has been a pioneer in

developing isotope hydrology as a powerul and eective scientic approach or

managing water resources.


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watEr

Today, one billion people have no

access to sae drinking water, and

only about 15% o the worlds pop-

ulation enjoy relative abundance.

Unsae water, carrying preventable,water-borne diseases, kills nearly

ve million people annually. Most

victims o unsae water are children.

Rising populations, more irrigated

agriculture and increasing industrial

growth together deplete and

degrade reshwater supplies aster

than these can be replenished. In

addition, river fows have become

more variable and vulnerable in a

warmer climate (due to increased

glacial melt and changes in precipi-tation patterns). These concurrent

trends are driving the need to opti-

mize water use and management

practices.

Waters ngerprints

Through its technical cooperation

projects, the IAEA works with

Member States to tackle water

pollution and scarcity issues. Forinstance, to be able to depend

upon resh water supplies in the

uture, Member States must be able

to accurately measure the available

water resources. Water contains

varying concentrations o naturally-

occurring isotopes that can be

measured with nuclear techniques.

The measurements identiy a

specic water samples origin

precisely, quickly, easily and cost-

eectively. The isotopic composi-

tion o water serves as a ngerprint

that allows researchers to track

where water travels rom its origin,

what happens to water along its

course and how quickly it is being

replenished. Isotope tracking also

helps researchers detect sources o

pollution and salt water intrusion,

and identiy the eects o climatechange.

IAEA water resource projects are in

operation in Arica, Asia, Europe

and Latin America, addressing a

variety o groundwater and surace

water resource challenges. For

example, a study conducted by the

IAEA in Bangladesh where

naturally-occurring arsenic poison-

ing created a major public health

crisis uncovered the source ocontamination and provided inor-

mation about where to nd sae

drinking water.

Reliance on aquiers

More than hal the worlds popula-

tion relies on water pumped rom

aquiers, many o which traverse

national boundaries. Nuclear meth-

ods rapidly and reliably map trans-boundary aquiers, producing the

data needed to plan how to share

the water sustainably, rationally and

equitably. The IAEA is studying sev-

eral major underground aquiers,

such as the Nubian Sandstone

Aquier System in Arica and the

Guarani aquier in South America.

These projects support better

groundwater resource manage-

ment, which is the basis or sustain-

able socio-economic development,

as well as the preservation o

biodiversity and land resources.

How much water is available?

The IAEAs Water Availability

Enhancement Project (IWAVE)

strengthens Member States

national capacity to conduct water

resource assessments by identiyinggaps in hydrological data and or-

mulating strategies to close them.

These comprehensive assessments

include evaluations o water quality,

water quantity, and water use, as

well as resource vulnerability and

sustainability. This inormation will

complement other international,

regional, and national initiatives to

provide decision makers reliable

tools to better manage national

water resources. IWAVE pilotstudies are under way in Costa Rica,

Oman and the Philippines.

Cooperation is the key tosustainable water supplies

Developing countries receive train-

ing and technical analytical support

in nuclear technology through the

IAEA hydrology projects, as well as

expert services and equipment. TheIAEA Isotope Hydrology Laboratory

oers analytical support and ser-

vices to ensure high-quality isotope

measurements worldwide, and

helps Member States establish their

own laboratories. The IAEAs news-

letters, atlases, on-line applications,

training programmes, e-learning,

and isotope inormation help water

resource managers make eective

decisions. To strengthen the impact

and broaden the reach o its pro-

grammes, the IAEA works together

with other organizations, such as

the World Bank, United Nations

Environment Programme,

Organization o American States

and United States Geological

Survey to acilitate programmes

and transer knowledge.

The IAEA is also a member o UN

Water, an inter-agency group that

brings together 30 United Nationsorganizations collaborating on

eective resh water management.


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EnErgy

Development that relieves poverty

relies upon access to energy.

Sustainable development relies

upon access to clean, sucient and

aordable energy. Globally, about1.3 billion people, have no access to

electricity, and are deprived o the

opportunities that energy enables

in education, agriculture, business,

industry, and healthcare. Hal o the

worlds population has no access to

clean cooking uels, relying instead

on biomass such as wood, dung

and agricultural residue, as well as

coal, to uel cook stoves and to heat

their homes. The WHO estimates

that diseases caused by theresulting indoor air pollution kill

two million people annually.

Energy choices

Expanding energy access requires

systematic planning to nd the

optimal combination o sources

that deliver energy that is aorda-

ble, while conserving resources and

protecting the environment. For therural poor, o-grid renewable

energy may oer the greatest

promise. For the urban poor and

growing mega-cities, the energy

mix must include large, centralized

electricity generation acilities to

meet large-scale, centralized

electricity demand.

The IAEA is the sole UN agency

involved in overall capacity build-

ing in energy system analysis. It

oers a comprehensive menu o

support to assist developing

countries plan or their uture

energy needs. Under the IAEA

energy planning approach, all

energy options are treated equally.

Together with national planners,

the IAEA develops and transers tai-

lored planning models and data

that consider all o the economic,

environmental, and social aspectso sustainable development. The

IAEA trains local experts and

establishes local capacity to chart

national energy paths or

sustainable development.

The IAEA is a ounding member o

UN-Energy, a network that pro-

motes coherence within the UnitedNations amily o organizations in

the energy eld and develops

engagement between the United

Nations and other key external

stakeholders

Using nuclear power saely

To be a viable contributor to sus-

tainable development, nuclear

power must be sae: accidents

must be prevented and avoided;the emergency response must

ensure that any radioactive release

is minimized and switly stopped to

prevent public exposure. The IAEAs

saety standards, saety training,

direct assistance and

saety peer reviews help ensure

that the highest saety levels are

in place.

Ater the Fukushima-Daiichi

nuclear power plant accident theIAEAs Member States approved

an Action Plan on Nuclear Saety.

The Action Plan ocuses a global

eort to strengthen nuclear saety

worldwide. Under the Action Plan,

all countries with nuclear power

programs agreed to promptly

undertake nuclear power plant

stress tests. The IAEAs peer

reviews are being strengthened

by incorporating lessons learned

rom the accident and by ensuringthat these reviews appropriately

address regulatory eectiveness,

operational saety, design saety,

and emergency preparedness and

response.

Essential to all human activities, energy uels social and economic development.

Energy is the engine or the production o goods and services across all economicsectors: agriculture, industry, transportation, commerce, public administration,

among many others. Lack o energy is a contributing actor in individual, community,

national and regional poverty. In contrast, access to energy opens many new oppor-

tunities; and meeting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals cannot be

accomplished without access to aordable energy services.


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Using nuclear powereconomically and sustainably

Nuclear power is not a panacea. It isa good investment i the benets

exceed the risks, costs less than

available alternatives, pays or itsel,

and results in protable operation.

Ensuring protability requires good

planning, inrastructure and opera-

tion. For countries that choose to

introduce nuclear power, the IAEA

provides guidance and assistance in

developing the necessary legislative

and regulatory ramework, human

resources, nuclear saety, stake-

holder involvement, emergency

planning, environmental protection,

non-prolieration saeguards and

nuclear waste management.

When a nation includes nuclear

power in its energy mix, it reduces

harmul air pollution and green-house gas emissions, expands elec-

tricity supplies, increases the

national stock o technological and

human capital and broadens the

resource base by putting uranium

to productive use.

Due to its environmental risk,

radioactive waste requires special

attention. The IAEA, as the only UN

organization involved in radioactive

waste management, establishes

saety standards and provides tech-

nical and related guidance or the

implementation o waste manage-

ment in accordance with those

saety standards.

Using nuclear powersecurely

As with saety, nuclear power must

be secured against malicious acts

such as sabotage, thet or attacks to

be a viable contributor to sustaina-ble development. The IAEA devel-

ops security guidelines and

provides training, direct assistance

and peer reviews to ensure that

security is maintained at the

highest possible levels.

Using nuclear powerpeaceully

Sustainable development depends

upon international peace and secu-rity, which the IAEA helps to main-

tain by veriying that nuclear power

is used or peaceul purposes only.

This is essential because, unlike

other energy orms, nuclear energy

can be misused to pursue military

purposes and develop nuclear

weapons.

Over the past ve decades, the

international community has put inplace a number o international

legal mechanisms to help stem the

spread o nuclear weapons. These

include the Treaty on the Non-

Prolieration o Nuclear Weapons

and the IAEA saeguards system.

The IAEA applies saeguards, a set

o technical measures through

which it independently veries that

nuclear material is not diverted

rom peaceul uses. The IAEA plays

an important verication role,

demonstrating to States that

nuclear non-prolieration

commitments are being respected.

The IAEA delivers training, technical

assistance and equipment toStates, and provides international

guidance on improving nuclear

security.


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food sEcurity

and sustainablE

agriculturE

As the eects o a changing climate

become more evident, many coun-

tries are burdened by longer

drought periods, food-triggered soil

erosion, encroaching saline water,and the devastation wrought by

extreme weather. All o these actors

can severely constrain ood produc-

tion and sustainable development.

Nuclear techniques are used to

increase crop and soil productivity,

eciently manage water resources,

improve livestock health and

productivity and reduce the use o

ertilizers.

Healthier livestock

Healthy and productive livestock

help ensure ood security. Nuclear

techniques are used to improve live-

stock growth, reproductive e-

ciency and disease resistance. For

instance, radioimmunoassay

methods help diagnose diseases

and monitor the eectiveness o

disease control and eradication

programmes. This methodology is

essential in stopping the spread o

trans-boundary animal diseases,

such as rinderpest, which was

recently completely eradicated

worldwide.

Deence against insect pests

Nuclear techniques can be used as

part o an integrated approach to

control insect pests that destroy

crops and spread disease. Diseases

and pests destroy more than a third

o crops beore and ater harvesting.

Insect pests can be controlled using

the sterile insect technique (SIT). InSIT, an environmentally riendly alter-

native to insecticides, male, labora-

tory-raised insects, are sterilized with

gamma radiation. When they are

released into the wild and mate, no

ospring are produced. Over time,

insect populations shrink and are

eventually ully suppressed, reducing

the need or pesticides. SIT has been

used to eradicate the medfy, a threat

to some 250 species o ruit andvegetables, rom Chile and Mexico, as

well as rom parts o Guatemala and

the United States.

Reducing pollutants

By suppressing insect pest popula-

tions with SIT, pesticide use world-

wide had been reduced by

600 000 litres annually. At the same

time, the technique has improved

incomes or 18 000 producers, since

these pesticide-ree products, grown

in developing countries, satisy inter-

national ood saety requirements,

thereby increasing the access o

rural agricultural communities to

valuable export markets. For exam-

ple, the use o SIT in Guatemala

reduced the ruit fy population,

which helped double earnings rom

the agricultural export o tomatoes,

bell peppers and papaya, while pro-

viding badly needed new jobs. Since2006, the insect pest control pro-

gramme has generated benets to

armers o more than $100 million

and created thousands o rural jobs.

Plant breeding

For instance, when seeds are briefy

exposed to radiation, subtle genetic

changes in plants occur, speeding

up a natural process that would oth-

erwise take many years. The IAEAutilizes this technique to help

Member States switly develop com-

mercial crops that are more resistant

to disease or drought. A wide range

o improved crop varieties, such as

rice, wheat, banana, potato, yam and

soya bean, have been developed.

These varieties are now planted or

instance on 15% o Vietnams rice

production area, where they have

been adopted as part o a nationalprogramme to eradicate hunger

and alleviate poverty, ocussing on

the central highland region, an

economically poor area where agri-

cultural production is low. These

techniques expand the range o

productive land and increase the

global ood supply.

Services to

ensure ood securityThrough a joint programme, the

Food and Agriculture Organization

and the IAEA collaborate to support

global ood security and contribute

to combatting poverty. IAEA services

increase Member States capacity to

adapt to climate change by oering

needs assessments, technical advice,

training, coordinated research

projects, equipment, networking,

technical publications and publicinormation.


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protEcting

thE ocEans

The IAEAs Environment

Laboratories in Monaco help

Member States apply nuclear

techniques to detect pollutants incoastal zones and the deep ocean,

analyse their impacts on marine

organisms and human health, and

better understand key marine heat

and carbon cycling processes.

Ocean acidication

The oceans absorb 2 billion tonnes

o carbon dioxide every year, and act

as a powerul buer that mitigates

the eects o global warming. TheIAEA Environmental Laboratories

study ocean acidication and

climate changes other eects on

oceans and marine ecosystems.

Ocean acidication occurs as oceans

absorb the rising quantities o

carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

When dissolved, the carbon dioxide

orms carbonic acid, creating a more

acidic environment, which can

threaten marine ecosystems. Coralsand other marine organisms,

particularly those with shells, are at

particular risk. The IAEA is using

radiotracers to track the eects o

this acidication on ocean chemistry

and marine lie. This knowledge is

needed to be able to act eectively

to protect the oceans that are the

primary source o ood or more

than 3.5 billion people.

To support international eorts to

mitigate ocean acidication, the

IAEA, together with UNESCO and

155 scientists, drated and signed

the 2009 Monaco Declaration, which

calls or substantial reductions in

CO2 emissions to avoid widespread

damage to marine ecosystems

caused by ocean acidication. The

IAEA is an active member o UN

Oceans, which is an eective, inter-

agency coordination mechanism on

ocean and coastal issues within theUnited Nations.

Understanding climatechange

The IAEA contributes to basic

climate science by using nuclear

techniques to learn more about

past climates. The isotopic natural

archives preserved in marine sedi-

ments, ice cores, corals and polar

ice oer a wealth o inormation.The isotope record provides precise

data about the environmental con-

ditions on Earth over the past mil-

lennia. Inormation about the

oceans temperature, salinity, acid-

ity, humidity, biodiversity, and circu-

lation in the ancient past helps

scientists veriy the accuracy o cur-

rent ocean and climate models and

helps orient uture model develop-

ment. These models are needed topredict the oceans health and the

weather in uture.

Preventing marine pollution

The IAEA has worked with several

regional organizations to improve

their capacity to use nuclear tech-

niques to monitor and assess

marine pollutants, like heavy metals

and pesticides. Projects to enhance

the capability o Black Sea and

Caribbean countries to assess and

monitor coastal pollution problems

have been successully completed.

In the Caribbean and the

Philippines, nuclear techniques

have been validated as reliable,

swit, cost-eective tools that

detect toxins produced by

harmul algal blooms in marine

oods.

Measuring marine radioactivepollution

The IAEAs Environment

Laboratories have provided essen-

tial scientic and analytical support

or a landmark study o radioactive

and non-radioactive pollutant levels

in all principal seas. They have

undertaken worldwide radioactivity

baseline studies o the Antarctic,

Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, North and

South Pacic Oceans, and the FarEastern, Mediterranean, and Black

Seas. Regional studies have been

conducted in the Gul, as well as the

Caspian, Irish, and Kara Seas, in

addition to the New Caledonia,

Mururoa and Fangataua Atolls. The

baselines levels are essential or

identiying changes to the radio-

activity levels in the marine

environment.

Following the Fukushima Daiichi

nuclear accident, radioactively con-

taminated cooling water was dis-

charged into the sea, raising

concern about the radioactivitys

harmul eects on marine lie and

on seaood destined or human and

animal consumption. Japan initi-

ated an intense programme to

monitor both coastal and o-shore

levels o seawater contamination at

the discharge area, as well as at dis-

tances 10 and 30 kilometers rom

the reactors. The IAEA is now under-

taking a long-term marine study o

the Pacic through an IAEA regional

cooperation project.

The IAEA Marine Environment Laboratory in Monaco

is the only marine laboratory in the UN system,

supporting eorts to protect the worlds oceans and

seas.


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human hEalth

In developing countries, malnutri-

tion, communicable and non-

communicable diseases, particularly

cancer, threaten health and cut

short productive lives. Heathproblems and diseases can be

detected and treated using nuclear

techniques.

Fighting non-communicablediseases

Non-communicable diseases, such

as cardiovascular diseases, cancer,

diabetes and chronic lung disease,

are a signicant barrier to sustaina-

ble development. The WHOestimates that the costly, long term

health-care needed to treat these

diseases consumes amily savings in

low and middle-income countries

and drives about 100 million people

into poverty every year. More than

36 million people are killed each

year by these diseases, and nearly

80% o these deaths occur in low-

and middle-income countries. A

quarter o the victims die early,beore their sixtieth birthday, oten

robbing amilies o a breadwinner.

For over 40 years, the IAEA has

helped its Member States to build

sustainable capacity in the use o

radiation medicine and has assisted

more than 110 low and middle-

income countries to manage cancer

and non-communicable diseases.

For instance, with the assistance o

the IAEA, Mauritanias rst radio-

therapy centre was inaugurated in

2010, and, cancer patients are

receiving treatment in their home

country. Another IAEA project in

Yemen has helped to establish the

necessary inrastructure or the

countrys rst nuclear medicine

centre, by building the necessary

human capacity, training sta and

providing essential equipment, such

as a double-head gamma camera.The Nuclear Medicine Centre at

Al-Thawra Hospital was opened in

early 2008 and can provide services

to many o the 23 000 patients per

year requiring cancer, renal and car-

diology diagnosis, and serves as a

national training centre in Yemen.

Fighting cancerin the developing world

Today, most new cancer cases are

diagnosed in the developing worldwhere access to cancer diagnosis

and treatment is very limited.

According to the WHO, more than

two-thirds o new cases and cancer

deaths almost eight million

people worldwide per year occur

in low and middle income coun-

tries. Cancer is spreading in these

countries at an epidemic rate.

Cancer, which oten aects the

most productive working-agemembers o society, could become

a major impediment to

socio-economic development in

low and middle income countries.

Radiotherapy:a cancer-ghters essential tool

The WHO considers radiation

therapy to be undamental to the

optimum management o cancer

patients, which alone, or in combi-

nation with surgery or chemother-

apy, is recommended or more than

hal o cancer patients. Radio-

therapy is attractive or developing

countries, because it is a highly

cost-eective option or cancer

treatment.

In 2004, the IAEA established the

Programme o Action or Cancer

Therapy (PACT) to help ght cancer

in its developing Member States

comprehensively and eectively,

through partnerships and resource

mobilization. PACT builds upon the

IAEAs expertise in radiation medi-

cine technology to enable low and

middle income countries to intro-duce, expand and improve their

cancer care services and workorce.

PACT also conducts missions to

evaluate Member States readiness

to implement cancer control

programmes and oer recommen-

dations on developing cancer

control capacity.

Global alliance

The WHO/IAEA Joint Programme on

Cancer Control is a global alliance o

NGOs, oundations, public and multi-

lateral organisations and private

industry that works to increase

awareness, build technical and pub-

lic policy capacity and develop alter-

native undraising mechanisms to

help establish much needed national

cancer control programmes in devel-

oping countries. With the support o

the WHO/IAEA Joint Programme,

countries such as Ghana now have

established a national cancer control

plan, and are implementing inra-

structure improvements and devel-

oping the needed workorce, which

all are helping to improve the health

o the population in the country.


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Improving nutrition

Malnutrition has devastating

humanitarian and economic

consequences, contributing to

developmental problems and

weakened immune systems, and tosubsequent long term impacts on

the economy. One out o every ten

children born in developing coun-

tries will die beore their th birth-

day as a result o malnutrition.

According to the World Bank,

investing in inant and young child

nutrition can save one million lives

each year, and can help 260 million

more children and their mothers

have a healthier uture. Given its

comparatively low cost, investing inchildrens improved nutrition is one

o the most eective interventions

to advance sustainability.

The IAEAs nutrition programme, in

cooperation with WHO and UNICEF,

uses nuclear techniques to monitor

a wide variety o nutritional prob-

lems. To improve breasteeding

practices, manage healthy growth

and address micro-nutrient de-ciencies, the IAEA helps Member

States develop eective, evidence-

based interventions to combat

malnutrition using stable isotope

and other nuclear techniques. These

methods are non-radioactive and

non-invasive procedures. For the

rst time, this method is being used

in teen Arican countries to collect

a large data set on human milk

intake and the prevalence o

exclusive breasteeding. Nuclear

techniques are also used or

neonatal screening or sickle cell

disease, hypothyroidism and cystic

brosis, as well as childhood

cancers.

GHANA Cassava variety Tek Bankye, with improved cooking quality, released to wide

acclaim. Trials underway to produce higher-yielding, disease resistant cassava, with

improved starch content.

CANADA The Linola mutant series o linseed is similar to traditional sunfower oil and

thereore suitable or human consumption. Linola accounts or about 10% o allfax/linseed grown in Canada, a major fax producer.


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capacity building

At the heart o the IAEAs activities is building local capacity

through technology transer. Working with its Member

States, the IAEAs role is to make sure that this technology is

used saely and eectively, and can also be locally sustained.

This means providing training to develop local expertise andensuring that any needed inrastructure is in place beore

technology is transerred.

The IAEA helps Member States develop scientic and techni-

cal capacities in water management, soil management,

agriculture, energy planning, nuclear engineering, and envi-

ronmental and climate research to enhance sustainability

nationally and regionally. As a result, many developing coun-

tries are using state-o-the-art nuclear science and technol-

ogy to solve chronic developmental challenges, such as

ensuring public health, providing sucient energy, ood and

resh water, as well as preserving a sae environment. TheIAEAs services include expert needs assessments, technical

advice, training, equipment procurement, networking, tech-

nical publications and public inormation, which are deliv-

ered through coordinated research projects and the

technical cooperation programme.

The IAEA helps countries that choose to introduce nuclear

power to make the necessary long-term plans, to develop

the necessary inrastructure and to continuously improve

saety and eciency, and provides guidance on each o the

milestones that a country must meet when preparing ornuclear power. These milestones distil lessons rom past

experience, helping countries that choose to introduce

nuclear power today to do so saely, securely and sustaina-

bly. The IAEA helps countries to assess their progress against

the milestones and provides training and assistance to

strengthen their programmes and speed their progress.

Over the past ve decades, the IAEA and its Member States

have built a sound oundation o institutions and personnel

in many developing countries that now provide an impor-

tant regional resource in terms o capabilities and exper-

tise. Today, developing countries are better positioned to use

nuclear science and technology to improve public health,

provide sucient ood, energy and water; and sustain a sae

environment.

By advancing the peaceul uses o nuclear technologies, the

IAEA helps its Member States address basic human

development needs, while building the uture we want.

VIETNAM Since the mid-1990s eight mutant rice varieties were

released, with high quality, increased yield and tolerance to soil

salinity. Since 2000, the area cultivated with mutant rice varieties

reached 2.5 million hectares in southern Vietnam.

SUDAN Banana variety Albeely producing up to 100% higher

yields and improved quality.


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For more information visit www.iaea.org

Vienna International Centre

PO Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria

E-Mail: [email protected]

Printed by the IAEA in Austria, June 2012

Throughout the world, nuclear applications in medicine, industry, agriculture and environmental research are helpingto save lives, boost productivity, increase ood output, provide energy and protect oceans and resh water reserves.The IAEA provides guidance and practical assistance to countries that are interested in using nuclear science and

technology to support sustainable development.

nuclear technology for a sustainable future (iaea)

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