The World Assembly,
Taking note of the passage of World Assembly Resolution #263, “Uranium Mining Standards Act”,
Not standing opposed to the general principle of promoting the common good through appropriate environmental international law,
However taking into consideration the following arguments:Deciding that on the balance of these arguments Resolution #263 is neither necessary nor effective in advancing the interests of the World Assembly and its member nations:
- The World Assembly should promote clean and renewable energy sources. Nuclear energy is a form of clean energy, a position endorsed by the General Assembly through World Assembly Resolution #357, “Promotion of Clean Energy”. Burdensome regulations on uranium mining that do not serve any purpose beyond limiting the economic viability of providing fuel for nuclear energy are likely to force nations unable to otherwise meet their energy needs to return to polluting and non-renewable sources of energy such as oil and coal.
- The mandates of Resolution #263 constitute such burdensome regulations:
- A requirement for ‘radiation precautions’ specific to uranium mines is a nonsensical and scientifically illiterate mandate, given that mining uranium ore poses no greater radiological risk than mining any other mineral, or for that matter than farming bananas.
- A requirement that no mine may endanger – nor even have endangered through past actions – ‘any species in the general vicinity’ is so overbroad as to likely render repeated obstacles to any mining operations while the wholesale transplantation of such species takes place, regardless of whether doing so serves any purpose in terms of promoting biodiversity.
- The only alternative offered is relocation of the mine itself, which given the impossibility of relocating ore deposits would necessarily render mining of them unfeasible.
- Taken together, these requirements are such that uranium mining within World Assembly nations would frequently be rendered an economically impractical prospect. This would further affect nations that rely on imports to fuel their domestic nuclear energy production by driving higher prices. In both cases, the end result would tend towards promoting carbon-intensive energy sources, exacerbating climate change.
- The World Assembly should respect each nation’s sovereign economic rights over their own territory and resources therein. International law curtailing economic activity is only merited in cases where the transnational impact of such activity would cause one nation’s actions to affect another nation. Resolution #263 does not identify any such impact intrinsic to uranium mining.In the absence of any transnational impact, national regulators are best placed to determine the regulatory needs of mines operating within their jurisdiction.
- The World Assembly should not duplicate general mandates for specific industries. Workplace safety, prevention of water contamination, and protection of endangered species are all already adequately addressed by extant international law through World Assembly Resolutions #7, #107, and #465. As such the repetition of concern for these subjects in Resolution #263 is redundant, and striking it out will in no way lead to violations of workplace safety, contamination of clean water sources, nor risk to endangered species, as these threats are all already adequately protected against.
Repeals World Assembly Resolution #263, “Uranium Mining Standards Act”.
“While we wait response to our comments on our other draft, we present the following draft resolution for query and comment.”
-- Júlía Maria Jónsdóttir
Economic Advisor to the Græntfjall WA Mission
Júlía Maria’s interns distribute a list containing further information on the resolutions cited in the proposal text: