Evolving life sciences and agricultural research approaches may have a decreasing need to access physical resources in future, such as plant seeds or viral material. Information and genetic data may be all that is required for commercial exploitation of biological resources. This POSTnote summarises the challenge this creates for international discussions on the governance of genetic resources and the possible options for addressing these.
Documents to download
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Nuclear Security (386 KB, PDF)
Nuclear security refers to the prevention of malicious acts involving nuclear or other radioactive materials and their associated facilities. It is typically used in the context of preventing terrorist groups from perpetrating hostile acts. This POSTnote provides an overview of the key threats to nuclear security, and the UK and international initiatives that seek to address them.
The key points in this POSTnote are:
- Nuclear security initiatives focus on preventing terrorist groups from carrying out nuclear or radiological attacks.
- The US and Russia own 93% of nuclear warheads and 82% of nuclear material.
- There are 24 countries that have 1 kg or more of weapons-usable nuclear material and over 100 that store radioactive sources.
- Security standards vary widely. Growing cyber threats present a challenge.
- The Nuclear Security Summit process (2010-16) made substantial progress, but gaps remain. The importance of continued focus on this issue is widely recognised.
- Military nuclear materials, which account for 83% of total stockpiles, are not covered by international agreements.
Acknowledgments
POSTnotes are based on literature reviews and interviews with a range of stakeholders and are externally peer reviewed. POST would like to thank the following interviewees and peer reviewers for kindly giving up their time during the preparation of this briefing:
- Department of Energy and Climate Change (now Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy)
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office
- Office for Nuclear Regulation
- House of Commons Library
- Royal United Services Institute
- Dr David Blagden, Strategy and Security Institute, University of Exeter
- Nuclear Threat Initiative
- Sellafield Ltd
- Prof Matthew Bunn, Belfer Center, Harvard University
- Jacobs Engineering Group & Defence Industry Security Association
- International Institute of Strategic Studies
- Dr Andrew Futter, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Leicester
- Oxford Research Group
- Greenpeace
Documents to download
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Nuclear Security (386 KB, PDF)
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Drones (also known as unmanned aircraft) are flying systems that do not carry a pilot. As the technology has become cheaper and more sophisticated, the use of drones for recreational and commercial purposes has grown, with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reporting a significant increase in the number of permissions obtained for operating commercial drones in the UK. Despite their potential to reduce costs, improve efficiency and provide new services, drones may be misused accidentally or for malicious purposes. For example, reports of drone sightings at Gatwick Airport in December 2018 grounded around 1,000 flights for almost 36 hours, affecting more than 140,000 passengers. In 2018, the Government introduced new limits on where drones can be flown and new registration and education requirements for drone operators and pilots. In January 2020, the new Government introduced an Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Bill to Parliament that included new police powers for enforcing aviation laws (such as the power to issue a fixed penalty notice for certain drone offences). This POSTnote looks at civilian drones and their applications, focusing on potential misuse and possible responses.
