Nuclear Science for a Better Future
2024, November
Vol. 65-4
(This article was originally published in the November 2024 IAEA Bulletin)
Some of the most pressing challenges facing the world today are in the areas of health, food security, water resource management and climate change. For decades, the IAEA has been delivering support to countries through its technical cooperation programme, helping them to benefit from nuclear science and technology solutions to these problems.
Problems associated with climate change and rising sea levels are already impacting the people of Fiji and directly affecting their future. The IAEA is helping communities adapt to climate change by assisting them in the use of nuclear techniques to breed more resilient crops, preserve soil and freshwater resources, and gain key insights into the health of the ocean.
In Paraguay, limited radiotherapy services prevent cancer patients from getting the treatment they need to survive. The IAEA helps countries like Paraguay to procure radiotherapy equipment and trains local professionals to help bridge the cancer care gap around the world by widening access to safe and secure radiotherapy services for cancer patients.
Malta is one of the ten most water stressed countries in the world. For thousands of years, the country has battled with the issue of drought. Now, the IAEA and partners are helping water experts in Malta use isotope hydrology to enable water authorities to understand and protect their limited resources, in particular in the context of climate change.
The IAEA helps countries to collect and analyse water data so that they can establish a full picture of local water systems. Data and insight can drive policy on water use, agriculture, the location of industrial facilities and housing developments, and more.
Nuclear science is making a significant difference in helping Kenya adapt to climate change. Scientists and farmers use irradiation to induce mutations in plants, speeding up the natural evolutionary process to develop new crop varieties. The IAEA helps countries to apply climate smart practices that increase soil fertility and water use efficiency, and to build capacities in the use of isotope hydrology to track and monitor water resources.
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The technical cooperation (TC) programme is the IAEA’s primary mechanism for transferring nuclear technology to countries, helping them address key development priorities in areas such as health and nutrition, food and agriculture, water and the environment, industrial applications, and nuclear knowledge development and management.
The TC programme also helps countries identify and meet their future energy needs and assists in improving radiation safety and nuclear security worldwide, including through the provision of legislative assistance.
It provides support through capacity building, knowledge sharing, partnership building, support for networking, and procurement.
The TC programme operates in four geographic regions: Africa; Asia and the Pacific; Europe; and Latin America and the Caribbean. Within each region, it helps countries address their specific needs, taking into consideration existing capacities and different operational conditions. The TC programme aims to leverage capacities in each region by facilitating cooperation between countries within a region and beyond. South-South and triangular cooperation play an important role in supporting the exchange of nuclear knowledge and technology and enhancing the impact and sustainability of the IAEA’s contribution to development.