NAPSNet 15 December 2011

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"NAPSNet 15 December 2011", NAPSNet Weekly Report, December 15, 2011, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-weekly/napsnet-15-december-2011/

NAPSNet 15 December 2011

DETERRENCE: Collected thoughts on Phil Karber, Jeffrey Lewis, Arms Control Wonk (7 December 2011)

Well, what to say about Phillip Karber’s forthcoming report that suggests China might have more than 3,000 nuclear weapons stashed away in all those tunnels that the Second Artillery has been building over the past few decades? Well, for one thing, Karber’s claims are utter nonsense. For another, Karber is unbelievably successful at generating unwarranted publicity.

DPRK: Space is common wealth: KCNA white paper, KCNA (29 November 2011)

North Korea asserted the DPRK’s right to pursue a space program for “peaceful purposes” and criticized the US for attempting to “monopolize space.” North Korea maintains that it has launched communication satellites instead of testing its ballistic missile system. KCNA has closely tracked satellite launches by other countries over the last year.  Japan launched a spy satellite this week and the ROK plans four satellite launches next year.

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Decision making in a changing climate: Adaptation challenges and choices, World Resources Report 2010-2011, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank Group, & World Resources Institute (2011) [PDF, 11.8 MB]

Adaptation to accommodate climate change will frame the future for countries and communities across the globe. Responding to climate impacts as diverse as altered rainfall patterns, more frequent or intense extreme weather events, and rising sea levels will challenge decision makers at every level of government and in every sector of the economy. The pace, scale and scope of climate change impacts require different approaches to decision making.

ENERGY SECURITY: As coal use declines in U.S., coal companies focus on China, Jonathan Thompson, Yale Environment 360 (8 December 2011)

Comparing the US coal industry to the cigarette industry of the 1980s, Thompson reports that US coal companies seek to export coal to meet China’s vast and growing needs through new terminals in Washington State, boosting sales as aging US coal-fired power plants are retired.  Environmentalists see expanded US exports to China, by increasing global supplies and reducing prices, as countering efforts to limit CO2 emissions by reducing coal use.

GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: South Korean President Lee orders tougher measures against Chinese fishing after stabbing, Cherice Chen, Taiwan News (13 December 2011)

The stabbing death of a ROK Coast Guard officer by Chinese fisherman illegally in ROK waters has strained relations between the two states, sparking violent ROK citizen protests and putting President Lee’s scheduled China visit later this month at risk. The ROK has demanded more effort on China’s part to address illegal fishing issues; China has responded by blaming illegal fishing on the fact that Chinese waters are already exhausted.

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