Written by Akudzwe Mhangami, (Candidate Attorney, BA LAW (UP), LLB (UP))
Nuclear energy and the use thereof comprise part of the recommended solutions required for the successful achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Considering that Zimbabwe is amongst the countries globally using nuclear technologies in health, agriculture and research, the development of the national legal frameworks for use of nuclear energy, and the adoption of these international legal instruments, sets Zimbabwe on a positive trajectory for sustainability. Nuclear energy provides Zimbabwe with the opportunity to develop the country without utilization of carbon intensive systems.
Over the last few years, Zimbabwe has taken intentional steps toward the implementation and development of its national legal and regulatory frameworks required for the safe usage of nuclear energy according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) international safety and security standards. The IAEA promotes adherence to and implementation of international legal instruments on nuclear safety adopted under its auspices. The Radiation Protection Authority of Zimbabwe (RPAZ) has been working in collaboration with the IAEA over the years to implement these international legal instruments, as well as the actions recommended from missions conducted by the Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS).The IRRS missions entail the review of the regulatory framework for facilities and activities using radiation in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe began its journey toward ratification of international instruments related to nuclear safety and radiological protection by joining four multilateral treaties in 2021 namely; the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident, the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), as well as the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.In addition to these conventions, Zimbabwe has also recently approved the accession of the following, the Vienna Convention on civil liability for nuclear damage, the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. Zimbabwe’s adoption and implementation of these protocols and conventions, contributes to the universal priority of safety to ensure that disasters such as the accidents at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in 1979, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 and the Fukushima Daiichi accident in 2011 do not occur again. The adoptions of these protocols also help toward the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and prevention of the risks of nuclear energy utilization for terrorism.
Nuclear energy can be a solution to issues faced in Zimbabwe such as the lack of electricity, the battle against cancer, curbing of air pollution and loss of biodiversity. There is for example, correlation between the development of a society and the presence of electricity. Research studies have indicated that there is relationship between electricity access and poverty reduction. For example, it has been shown that access to electricity can positively impact women’s empowerment and welfare because electricity breaks the link between daylight and productive time, allowing women to spend less time on domestic chores, making them more likely to get remunerated work, and facilitating higher educational attainment. Access to electricity also holds correlation to the loss of biodiversity. Deforestation, which often comes largely as a result of a lack of access to electricity in rural communities, consequently affects biodiversity through the loss of animal habitats as well as the loss of biomass, which is used as a resource for firewood. The loss of biodiversity and biomass pose a threat to the sustainability and maintenance of a well-functioning eco-system. Therefore, adopting nuclear energy as a source can evidently be of benefit to addressing some of the socio-economic crises found in developing countries, and contribute to building a more sustainable globe.
Zimbabwe thus joins the international community in ensuring that nuclear energy is utilized in the improvement of its people, the development of the country and the sustainable protection of the globe for future generations to come.
