IAEA Scientific Forum 2018

Programme

Nuclear Technology for Climate: Mitigation, Monitoring and Adaptation

18–19 September 2018
IAEA Headquarters, Vienna, Austria

PROGRAMME

Opening: Message from Mr Yukiya Amano, Director General, IAEA, to be delivered by Mr Aldo Malavasi, Deputy Director General, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications

Moderator: Ms Melinda Crane, Chief Political Correspondent, Deutsche Welle-TV

Conference Secretary: Mr Serge Gas, Director, Office of Public Information and Communication, IAEA

Administration: Ms Julie Zellinger, Conference Services Section, IAEA

TUESDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2018

09:30-11:00     Opening Session

Opening Statement by Mr Yukiya Amano, Director General, IAEA, delivered by Mr Aldo Malavasi, Deputy Director General, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications (Statement)

HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, Jordan (Statement)

HE Mr Yeafesh Osman, Minister of Science and Technology, Bangladesh

HE Mr Francis Mokoto Hloaele, Minister of Energy and Meteorology, Lesotho

HE Mr Jianfeng Yu, Chairman of the Board, China National Nuclear Corporation

HE Mr Bernard Bigot, Director General of the ITER Organization

Ms Hillary Diane Andales, Winner of The 2017 Breakthrough Junior Challenge, Philippines

11:00-11:30     Coffee Break

11:30-17:30     Session 1: Role of nuclear power in limiting CO₂ emissions (Watch video →)

The first session will highlight the role nuclear power plays in simultaneously reducing GHG emissions and securing sufficient energy generation to drive economic growth. In our energy-hungry world where 70 per cent of electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, 80 per cent of electricity will need to be produced by a low-carbon source if climate change goals are to be met by 2050. Today, nuclear power produces 11 per cent of the world’s electricity and a third of the world’s low-carbon electricity. Nuclear power plants produce virtually no GHGs or air pollutants during their operation. Apart from these benefits, this session will also explore the main challenges facing nuclear power, including public acceptance and financing. Newcomer countries to nuclear power will share their perspectives, and the role of innovation in its future expansion will also be highlighted.

Mr Tom Wigley, Professor, University of Adelaide, Australia

- The role of nuclear energy in meeting the Paris Agreement climate targets (Presentation)

Ms Agneta Rising, Director General, World Nuclear Association, Sweden

- Contribution of nuclear power to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions (Presentation)

Main challenges to nuclear power:

Mr Malcolm Grimston, Senior Research Fellow, Imperial College London, United Kingdom

- Main challenges to nuclear power: Public acceptance| (Presentation)

Mr George Borovas, Partner and Head-Global Nuclear, Shearman & Sterling, Greece

- Main challenges to nuclear power: Financing (Presentation)

Ms Anzhelika Khaperskaya, Senior Manager at Project Office, Rosatom, Russia

- Radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel management: current challenges (Presentation)

12:45-14:15     Lunch Break

Ms Sama Bilbao y Leon, Head, Division of Nuclear Technology Development and Economics, OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), Spain

- The competitiveness of nuclear power (Presentation)

Drivers for nuclear power: Newcomers Perspective:

Mr Josef Sobolewski, Director, Department of Nuclear Energy, Ministry of Energy, Poland

- Newcomers Perspective: Poland (Presentation)

Mr Joseph Essandoh-Yeddu, Director, Strategic Planning and Policy, Energy Commission, Ghana

- Newcomers Perspective: Ghana (Presentation)

15:00-15:30     Coffee Break

Panel Discussion: Innovation in the future expansion of nuclear power

Mr Mingguang Zheng, President, Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research Design Institute, China (Presentation)

Ms Kathryn McCarthy, Vice President, Research and Development (Lab Director), Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Canada (Presentation)

Mr Nalinish Nagaich, Director, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), India (Presentation)

Mr Akira Omoto, Project Professor, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan (Presentation)

Mr Anton Valeryevich Moskvin, Vice-President for Marketing and Development of Rosatom Overseas, Russia (Presentation)

Mr Daniel Lipman, Vice President for Suppliers, New Reactors, and International Programs (NEI), United States of America (Presentation)

18:00     Reception

WEDNESDAY, 19 SEPTEMBER 2018

09:30-11:00     Session 2: Monitoring and measuring the change (Watch video →)

Climate change is caused by increased levels of GHGs in the atmosphere. Long-term records of GHG concentrations are being studied to evaluate these changes and to inform the development of mitigation strategies. The second session will focus on the need for accurate and timely data, and how nuclear techniques are advancing our understanding of climate change and its impacts. Nuclear and isotopic techniques are used to measure ocean acidification and ocean warming and can further assist Member States in monitoring and managing global freshwater supplies and to better understand the effects of agriculture on the environment. This session will highlight the relevance of nuclear technology in assessing climatic effects.

The effects of greenhouse gases on the oceans:

Ms Oksana A. Tarasova, Chief, Global Atmosphere Watch Programme, Research Department World Meteorological Organization, Russia

- Key Drivers of Climate Change and the Issues Related to Connection Between Atmospheric Composition and Ocean (Presentation)

Mr James Orr, Researcher, Laboratory for Sciences of Climate and Environment (LSCE), France

- Direct effect of increasing atmospheric CO₂ on the oceans (Presentation)

Ms Ana Carolina Ruiz Fernández, Professor, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico

- Addressing global change impacts on the marine environment by using nuclear techniques (Presentation)

Climate change and water:

Mr Marc F.P. Bierkens, Professor, Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

- Sustainable groundwater management (Presentation)

Mr Heitor Evangelista da Silva, Professor, Department of Biophysics and Biometrics, Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil

- Past climate conditions (Presentation)

Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture:

Mr Christoph Müller, Professor, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Germany

- Processes and sources (Presentation)

11:00-11:30     Coffee Break

11:30-14:45     Session 3: Adapting to a changing environment (Watch video →)

The planet is facing global warming realities such as food scarcity and the loss of ecosystems. Many sectors of the economy need to adapt to a changing environment, in particular the agricultural sector. The third session will explore how nuclear techniques can be used to breed more resilient crops, enhance animal productivity, address risks to food safety, and fight insect pests and animal diseases. The role that nuclear science plays in assisting countries to adapt to the consequences of climate change will be highlighted.

Agricultural challenges:

Ms Natalia Alekseeva, Team Leader for National Climate Change Action, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Russia

- Climate change and agricultural challenges: the FAO approach (Presentation)

Managing agricultural water and land degradation:

Mr Emmanuel Chikwari, Chief Research Officer, Chemistry and Soil Research Institute, Department of Research and Specialist Services, Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development, Zimbabwe

 - Managing agricultural water and land degradation (Presentation)

Adaptation in crops:

Mr Liu Luxiang, Professor, Institute of Crop Science (ICS), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), China

- Mutation Breeding for Crop Adaptation to Climate Change (Presentation)

New risks to food security:

Ms Ilmi Hewajulige, Senior Deputy Director / Principal Research Scientist, Industrial Technology Institute, Ministry of Science and Research, Sri Lanka

- New risks with regard to food safety (Presentation)

Mr Dodik Ridho Nurrochmat, Vice Rector, Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia

- Use of nuclear techniques for sustainable livestock production increase while mitigating impact on climate change (Presentation)

12:45-14:15     Lunch Break

Insect pests:  Risks and prevention measures:

Mr Romeo Bellini, Head, Medical & Veterinary Entomology Department, Centro Agricoltura Ambiente "G.Nicoli", IAEA Collaborating Centre, Bologna, Italy

- Climate change and invasive mosquito species: the role of nuclear applications (Presentation)

Ms Cara Nelson, Consultant/Expert in Area-wide SIT Management, Canada

- Role of nuclear applications in the management and control of plant pests (Presentation)

14:45-15:45     Panel discussion and closing session by Mr Mikhail Chudakov, Deputy Director General, Department of Nuclear Energy and Mr Aldo Malavasi, Deputy Director General, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications

Mr HE Mr Jose Fidel Santana Nuñez, Vice Minister of Science, Technology and Environment, Cuba

Mr Paulo Eduardo Artaxo Netto, Professor, Applied Physics Department, Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo, Brazil