Nuclear Data Could Threaten World Safety

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The United States and Russia aimed over 30 thousand nuclear warheads at each other during the cold war. Over a thousand tests were used to assess these weapons prior to the partial weapons nuclear test ban of 1962. This ban stopped all atmospheric, underwater, and land testing of nuclear weapons. The United States and UN developed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) to enforce this ban. The CTBTO established an 81 station network to detect nuclear testing. These stations obtain atmospheric, isotopic content, and pressure systematic data. Recently, independent scientists have attempted to acquire this data to evaluate the Japanese nuclear incident. Only organizations capable of safely handling the data should access this data and keep it away from the general public to ensure their safety. This data falling into terrorist’s hands could cause development of nuclear weapons by terrorists.

CTBTO has sensitive information on nuclear isotopes that terrorists could use. In the event of a unauthorized nuclear test ,the United States and other peaceful countries must stop sensitive isotopes information going to terrorists. These unauthorized tests could take place in Iran or North Korea if either were to create nuclear weapons. These clues could give terrorists the tools they need to create an attack on America. The risk is not worth the small benefits that come from making the CTBTO data public and thus open to terrorists.

The CTBTO data, if released to the public would also be accessed by other countries. These rogue countries could use the data to fight allegations of nuclear testing. Scientists in other countries could skew data and make it seem like a nuclear test came from somewhere else. This would lose legitimacy of the system if people argued over the data. The system must be only looked at by neutral scientists who are not interested in world politics. These scientists at the UN Nuclear Regulatory Commission already have access to this data.

CTBTO data is already shared with specific, handpicked organizations that deserve it. The information must be closely protected, giving it out to only certain people can be useful, but giving it to the general public is again dangerous. CTBTO already shares this info with tsunami warning centers and the UN nuclear organization, and governments in emergencies, if it starts giving it out to everyone there is a free-rider problem (lots of people use something which they didn't contribute to). The CTBTO data can be extremely valuable to tsunami warning centers, thus it is given to them. Likewise the UN nuclear agency can use the data and is highly trustworthy organization, little risk is involved here. Finally governments like japan who have emergencies had access to the data, the original article argues that outside scientists would have found it useful too, but they would have just argued about policy decisions, the Japanese government had the right to do what they thought was the correct action, they had sovereignty. No other organizations need access.

CTBTO needs to focus on its main goal of enforcing the treaty’s goal and increasing international cooperation. All states that have signed the treaty receive data; thus allowing them to monitor each other. If the international community wants the data then more countries need to sign the treaty and contribute to its success. An increased number of participates in the treaty would first make it more successful in limiting nuclear testing and harmful effects to people close to testing locations. Second, more countries would contribute money to build and maintain the CTBTO network. If everyone got data, countries would have no need to sign a treaty that technically limits there sovereignty, as well as costs them money.

Nuclear test data is sensitive, but essential information. It would make sense why some would advocate for its release to the public, it would allow some scientists to add data to their research and possibly lead to findings. However the risk of terrorists or rogue nations taking advantage of this information is too high to disregard. The safety of human life must be taken into consideration, especially the amount of risk to human life posed by a nuclear weapon. Finally, the scientists who most need this information to protect human life, like tsunami warning centers, the United Nations, or the Japanese government, already have this information. Disclosing the data to the public offers such a small gain for such a colossal risk to world peace.

"Full Transparency." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group, 15 June 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. .