Topic: Emerging Nuclear States and the Global Nuclear Framework
Country: Germany
Delegate Name: Brooke Blackwell
School: Royal Oak High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Germany position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
Germany gets about 16% of its electricity from nuclear reactors, but is currently working on phasing out its nuclear energy use by the year 2022, and all of the country’s nuclear reactors are in a state of decommission. Germany recognizes the potential dangers and risks of the use of nuclear energy. The Chernobyl Disaster, one of the worst ever nuclear power plant accidents in terms of cost and casualties, caused a great deal of radiation contamination to cover large parts of Germany, an event that further strengthened Germany’s opposition to its relationship with nuclear energy.
Germany has signed the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty, a treaty that has been instrumental in halting the spread of nuclear weapons. Germany believes and firmly supports the idea that Germany and the rest of the world needs more cooperation and arms control and less weaponry. Germany’s goal concerning nuclear energy is to successfully shut down and clear out all nuclear energy in its country. Although Germany itself does not plan on using any nuclear energy in the future or providing nuclear energy to any other country, Germany continues to be a leader in the research of peaceful uses for nuclear energy. Germany is hopeful that science can be successful in further researching a development in nuclear energy that reduces risks and is not easily weaponized for developing countries that could benefit from an energy source. It is for these reasons that for Germany to be able to support the use of nuclear energy, extremely strict and firm regulations and guidelines would have to be set for how nuclear energy is used and who can use nuclear energy. In future resolutions, Germany would need these pillars behind nuclear energy to be strengthened.
Germany will continue to phase nuclear energy out of its nation, and it is with the greatest caution and concern that Germany approaches nuclear energy, and the future of its development.
