by Adewale Olowode

Created on: November 04, 2008

Nuclear energy permeates our knowledge of both natural as well as artificial radioactivities. In radioactivity, unstable nucei of some elements decay spontaneously and uncontrollably. Such decay is usually accompanied by the evolution of a large quantity of heat. This heat is what scientists refer to as nuclear energy. In many countries of the world, most especially US, UK, Japan, and China, nuclear energy is a subject of intensive research, as other forms of energy, including chemical, solar, heat, mechanical, and electrical, are also being seriously harnessed.

There is no doubt that nuclear energy is a sovereign right for all nations. Over the years, many countries of the world has seen the brighter side of emerging opportunities and are no longer taking things lying low. To this end, research and development (R & D) into nuclear energy has taking a new dimension, as millions of dollars are earmarked yearly.

According to the law of conservation of energy, energy is neither created nor destroyed but rather transformed from one form to other more useful forms. So, the lesson to learn from this law is that every matter is energy and changes could occur to cause a shift from one energy form to the other. Since all nations of the world has matter of all sorts, within its territory, it is correct to say that the sovereignty of energy is perhaps one ticket handed over to mankind by the universe. Uranium, polonium, radium, and radon may not be found in all the countries of the world, but any country in need could buy the resource country via foreign trade. With a nuclear technology already in place, a steady use of the raw radioactive material is in place.

Technology is now a commodity that could be bought or sold in the world marketplace. Nuclear technologies, though largely developed in the US, UK, Japan, and China, have become commodities whose copies could be found elsewhere around the world. So, if any country could buy or sell nuclear technology, then every country of the world could be said to have a sovereign right to use it.

There is Strategic Arm Limitation Treaty SALT- 1 &2, 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NNT), 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and other treaties too. But there is no single treaty talking about which country is entitled to use nuclear energy and which one should not, apart from the restriction of the use of nuclear energy for non-war purposes. The implication of this is that every nation can go ahead to launch her

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