WORLD URANIUM SYMPOSIUM - Quebec City - April 13 - 16, 2015
[ www.uranium2015.com ]
September 1, 2014
Physicians for Global Survival, along with its local and regional partners, are honoured to invite you to attend and participate in the World Uranium Symposium on April 13 to 16, 2015, in Quebec City, Canada.
The Symposium will be examining all phases of the nuclear fuel chain, from uranium mining to enrichment and use as nuclear fuel for reactors or military weapons (see below and attached for more details).
We invite submissions, posters, research papers or workshop proposals on health, environmental, social, economics, human rights and First Nations rights issues (200-300 words for initial submissions). For those that are accepted, we will provide free attendance and one night’s accommodation.
Travel support may be available for those in need. We also invite you to support and sponsor the event.
Deadline for submissions for the Symposium: October 10th, 2014 (please send to uranium2015@naturequebec.org and mdmd@sasktel.net ).
A preliminary program and registration for the Symposium will be available by December 15th 2014.
Please distribute widely and mark the dates in your calendar.
Thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Dale Dewar & Dr. Eric Notebaert Co-Chairs,
Program Committee World Uranium Symposium | Quebec City 2015
www.uranium2015.com | uranium2015@naturequebec.org
PS. The Symposium parallels a public inquiry on the Quebec government’s temporary moratorium on uranium mining.
Briefs addressed to the Quebec government’s Commission on Uranium Mining Issues are MOST welcomed by October 30th, 2014. (send to uranium@bape.gouv.qc.ca and c.c. to uranium2015@naturequebec.org
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WORLD URANIUM SYMPOSIUM - Quebec City Canada | April 14-15-16 2015
Science | Health | Environment | Human rights | Economy | Society
Seventy years after
Uranium is the key element behind all nuclear technology, whether civilian or military. Seventy years ago, atomic bombs devastated the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nuclear meltdowns at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl occurred a generation ago, in 1979 and 1986. In 2011, the world witnessed the triple meltdowns at Fukushima. These major disasters, all linked to uranium, have affected the livelihood, health, environment, and economy of millions. They have also called into question the future of nuclear weapons, the nuclear reactors, and the uranium industry itself.
Is humanity at a crossroads?
What are the main issues affecting uranium? Should we be phasing out of nuclear power worldwide? Can we rid the world of nuclear weapons? What are the main social, political, health, security, and environmental issues of the nuclear fuel chain? How effective are existing regulations and safeguards? How do we deal with radioactive waste from mining and power generation in the short and long term – over 100,000 years? How are human rights generally, and aboriginal rights in particular, impacted by the nuclear fuel chain? How can we influence our governments to make responsible decisions for the future?
The Symposium: uranium mining and the nuclear fuel chain
The World Uranium Symposium will address broad issues and implications related to the nuclear fuel chain, with a particular emphasis on uranium mining impacts, health and environmental effects, low-level and high-level radioactive waste management, economics and nuclear energy policy, nuclear weapon proliferation, human rights and aboriginal rights, and issues related to ethics and governance. The Symposium will be held at the Centre des Congrès de Québec, from April 14 to 16, 2015, and include a Pre-symposium day on April 13:
• Pre-symposium (April 13)
• Day 1 (April 14) | Uranium life cycle: Impacts on health and the environment
• Day 2 (April 15) | Issues related to ethics, economics, and energy policy
• Day 3 (April 16) | Human rights, aboriginal rights, governmental responsibilities: the vision forward
Participants
The Symposium will be open to the public and feature a series of presentations and workshops held by local and international participants, health care professionals, scientists, researchers, non-governmental organizations, policy makers, citizens groups, and First Nations representatives with first-hand knowledge and/or experiences related to uranium mining and other aspects of the nuclear fuel chain. Among the participants will also be representatives of various levels of government and the media.
Outcomes
The Symposium is an opportunity for public education, networking, and to shape local, national, and international government policies regarding the future of uranium and the nuclear fuel chain. Live and recorded video streamings of the presentations will be made available online during, and after the Symposium, in both French and English.
The Canadian contexts
Canada is one of the largest producers and exporters of uranium worldwide, yet its nuclear energy output is in decline and no new reactors have been activated since the late 1970s. Only two Canadian provinces have active nuclear reactors, many of which will require costly refurbishment within the next few years. Two other Canadian provinces, British Columbia and Nova Scotia, have officially banned uranium mining on their territory. Quebec has recently shut down its only nuclear reactor but is now weighing the possibility of giving a green light to uranium mining – which is currently subject to a temporary moratorium.
Host organizations and sponsors
The Symposium is sponsored by Physicians for Global Survival (PGS), in collaboration with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility (CCNR), Coalition pour que le Quebec ait meilleur mine, and Nature Quebec. The Symposium is also supported by local, national, and international organizations, including First Nation organizations.