NAPSNet 28 July 2011

• DETERRENCE: Taiwan, the People’s Liberation Army, and the struggle with nature
• GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: Seoul may act on planned Ulleungdo visit by Japanese lawmakers
• DPRK: North Korean official to visit US for preliminary talks
• AUSTRAL SECURITY: N Korea a threat, cautions Rudd
• ENERGY SECURITY: Rise of energy-saving LEDs in lighting market seen as unstoppable
• CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Infrastructure, engineering and climate change adaptation

DETERRENCE:  Taiwan, the People’s Liberation Army, and the struggle with nature, Project2049 Institute (23 May2011) [PDF, 2.8MB]

The US should leverage Taiwan’s natural disaster management experience, establish climate change as a core component to the unofficial US-Taiwan relationship, develop early warning, recovery, and response technologies that create “dual use” resilience supporting military security and confidence building measures with China. 

• National security implications of climate change for U.S. naval forces, Committee on National Security Implications of Climate Change for U.S. Naval Forces, US National Research Council  (2011) [PDF 4.3MB]
• National security and the threat of climate change, Center for Naval Analyses (2007) [PDF, 1.3MB]

GOVERNANCE AND CIVIL SOCIETY: Seoul may act on planned Ulleungdo visit by Japanese lawmakers, Korea Herald (17 July 2011)

Following a Korean Airlines (KAL) test flight around the disputed island of Dokdo, the Japanese Foreign Ministry has called the flight a territorial violation and requested that state employees boycott KAL. Seoul has asked Tokyo to revoke this ban. The Korean government strongly opposes Japanese plans for lawmakers to visit Ulleungdo, Dokdo’s neighboring island; tensions between the two states appear to be intensifying. 

• Poor, crude diplomacy, Korean Times (15 July 2011) 
• Japan-South Korea ties hit turbulence, Asia Times (16 July 2011)

DPRK: North Korean official to visit US for preliminary talks, Christian Science Monitor (25 July 2011)

DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gae Gwan accepted an invitation to travel to the US this week for an “exploratory meeting” to see if resumed negotiations on the DPRK’s nuclear program are possible. Meanwhile, the DPRK continues to build the infrastructure to support future rocket launches and may be preparing for a large military drill on July 27. According to KCNA, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un also visited Navy Command in Pyongyang on the 25th.

• Pyongyang preparing large-scale drill, Joong-Ang Ilbo (26 July, 2011)
• N.Korea lays train tracks to new missile site, Chosunilbo (25 July 2011) 
• Preventing a nuclear North Korea, Nautilus Institute, (7 July 2011) 

AUSTRAL SECURITY: N Korea a threat, cautions Rudd, SMH (25 July 2011)

Speaking at a press conference at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the East Asia Summit, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd warned that North Korea was a direct threat to Australia and the region. On the sidelines of the security summit North Korea has indicated that it is ready to resume six party talks, these articles examine potential pitfalls of negotiations.

• Transcript of press conference, Hon Kevin Rudd MP Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs (23 July 2011) 
• Pyongyang seeks peace pact ahead of meeting, WSJ (28 July 2011)
• Missile shield will spark nuclear arms race: North Korea, Reuters (27 July 2011)

ENERGY SECURITY: Rise of energy-saving LEDs in lighting market seen as unstoppable, SolveClimate News (20 July 2011)

Writing for SolveClimate News, Maria Gallucci quotes analysts and industry experts as saying that Republican efforts to derail the implementation of US lighting efficiency standards will not significantly slow the growth markets for high-efficiency LED lighting products. LED sales growth is expected to average over 80%/yr over the next three years, and LED products can save over 90% of energy use in some applications, relative to standard bulbs.

• Solar power on vertical walls possible with new BIPV, Japan For Sustainability (19 July 2011)
• Electricity energy storage technology options: A white paper primer on applications, costs, and benefits, Electric Power Research Institute (23 December 2010) 
• House votes to hamper a law on light bulbs, NYT (15 July 2011)

CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: Infrastructure, engineering and climate change adaptation – ensuring services in an uncertain future, Royal Academy of Engineering (February 2011) [PDF, 0.99 MB]      

The Royal Academy of Engineering examines vulnerabilities to the effects of climate change within four UK infrastructure sectors (energy, transport, water, and communications), and the modifications that would be needed to increase resilience. They consider the infrastructure system as a whole and vulnerabilities, which arise as a result of interdependencies between different sectors.

• UK’s first ever national infrastructure plan, HM Treasury and Infrastructure UK (October 2010) [PDF, 1.86 MB] 
• Infrastructure planning and prioritisation, HM Treasury (3 November 2010)

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Editors

• Arabella Imhoff & Mihiri Weerasinghe

Contributors

• Deterrence: Peter Hayes
• Governance and Civil Society: Yi Kiho
• Climate Change Adaptation: Saleem Janjua
• DPRK: Scott Bruce
• Energy Security: David von Hippel
• Austral Security: Arabella Imhoff, Mihiri Weerasinghe