Nuclear Waste and the Polycrisis

By Nick King, originally published by Resilience.org

February 20, 2024

Origin and Nature of the Nuclear Legacy

Nuclear technology [1] has been in use internationally in a multitude of forms (e.g., for civil power generation, nuclear weapons, naval population, and medical applications) for approximately 80 years, and has been a long-term component of the global energy system (albeit with a relatively small and falling total contribution).  Although it is a relatively young innovation compared to some key human technologies (such as electricity and the internal combustion engine) and very young compared to others (such as wheels and agriculture), it has in those eight decades already had a big impact on human societies, including the generation of a legacy which has the potential to persist over timescales greatly exceeding the duration of complex human societies to date.  This is primarily in the form of radioactive wastes, which are defined as materials arising from nuclear technologies and processes which have no further use, and comprise a complex mix of different materials containing a wide range of radioactivity types and concentrations. The ionising radiation these wastes emit and the radionuclides (and other non-radiological toxins) they contain require suitable management to control the biohazards they present.

Civil nuclear power generation has been one of the primary contributors to radioactive waste generation, and these wastes have accumulated at hundreds of sites (where they were generated, and/or in consolidated form at centralised facilities) in more than 30 nations worldwide.  Much of the early management approaches in the burgeoning phases of the nuclear industry were quite ah-hoc, and the risks of radionuclides with some very long half-lives [2] being stored in aging and deteriorating infrastructure have become increasingly recognised.  The unique risk profile of nuclear wastes has therefore in recent decades compelled governments and other authorities to seek a remedial strategy which is commensurate with the challenge whilst also being effective, passively safe, robust from a scientific and engineering perspective, and economically, socially and politically acceptable.  Not all nuclear nations have yet started to develop these long-term plans in detail but in those nations that have, the approach most commonly settled upon [3] as a final solution for their waste legacies is geological disposal.

This describes the permanent emplacement of containerised waste materials [4] within engineered structures in stable rock masses at depths of approximately ≥ 500 m, so that the radioactivity is isolated by these barriers from the surface environment and biosphere.  These facilities may comprise mined repositories or deep boreholes (with the former currently being the generally preferred solution) and in either case they are intended to contain, slow and attenuate the migration of radioactivity over prolonged timescales.  In the countries where these facilities will be implemented, they will be huge national projects requiring continuous investments of resources, expertise, and political will over decades (or even a century or more) to build, operate, monitor and close.  These projects represent quite unique endeavours in a modern world in which governmental foresight and planning rarely extends beyond the next few years.  Indeed, as I have previously pointed out, geological disposal facilities will be in all likelihood the closest we have to the ‘cathedral thinking’ that historical societies demonstrated in building legacies which endured through time.

Influence of the Polycrisis

Several countries have made material progress towards achieving geological disposal (notably Finland, where first disposals of spent fuel into the Onkalo repository are planned to occur during 2024-25 [[1]]).  However, for most nations with ambitions to deal with their nuclear legacies this way, the lead in times will be long and wastes are being ‘passivated’ and put into interim long term storage [5] pending disposal facilities becoming available.   In the context of the 2020s and beyond, we must therefore consider these unique projects in light of long term developing global risks and trends.

A range of natural and anthropogenic phenomena are emerging and strengthening which will have a bearing on the practicality of geographically dispersed projects of the scale, duration and complexity of geological disposal.  This general predicament is increasingly labelled as the polycrisis, and is characterised as the multifaceted, interacting, synchronising and worsening plethora of threats and challenges that humanity faces at global scale.  The polycrisis will interact with human systems in complex and multifaceted ways, and geological disposal provides a unique case study of how these interactions could manifest; the following paragraphs explore some of the different potential impacts:

(i) The first realm of polycrisis impacts is logistics and supply chains. Geological disposal facilities will be large, complex and will make use of extensive quantities of specialist equipment, technology and materials, which by necessity will be sourced via global supply chains.  A key aspect will be provision of material for the subsurface engineered barriers, which are fundamental to providing effective long-term containment.  These will make extensive use of specialist clay minerals (notably bentonite [1]) which are available in economic deposits in only a few locations globally, therefore millions of tonnes of this material will need to be shipped long distance to under-construction repositories [[2]].

Multiple phenomena associated with the polycrisis have the potential to impact transport and logistical systems (particularly the multiple global chokepoints [[3]]) including damage to infrastructure and disruption of key routes from the effects of climate change, pandemics, and geopolitical strife and conflicts.  Indeed, the vulnerability of key global trade routes and chokepoints (specifically, the Suez and Panama Canals) has very recently been highlighted; the confluence of several events and trends have conspired to create simultaneous disruptions which have already impacted global trade.  Extrapolation of this and equivalent polycrisis-related phenomena could seriously challenge the material needs of potentially multiple geological disposal facilities being constructed simultaneously in different locations globally.

(ii) The construction and operation of geological disposal facilities will represent an enormous financial commitment in each nation where they are pursued, and these costs will also continue over timescales far in excess of broadly equivalent major infrastructure projects. Ensuring that these projects are ‘seen through’ to a final closure stage [6] [[4]] will therefore be reliant not only on individual’s nations fiscal situations, but also on the global financial system remaining solvent and stable over extended timeframes.  The polycrisis may present threats to this vital financial foundation in several different forms.

Firstly, climate change has and will continue to drive increased incidence of extreme weather, which due to the close coupling of virtually all parts of the human system with the climate, will cause impacts including infrastructure damage and population displacements.  A second order effect of this is cumulative costs (e.g., of abandoning land and rebuilding damaged infrastructure); insurance is one of the main buffers against these costs, but whole regions have increasingly become effectively uninsurable due to the frequency of climate damages [[5]] [[6]], and increasing prevalence of climate change will continue this trend.  Secondly, depletion and scarcities of fundamental resources and energy may cascade through multiple aspects of society, which will likely continue to drive inflationary tendencies and debt growth as societies increasingly attempt to ‘pull resources forward’ in time [[7]].  The polycrisis will therefore likely act as on ongoing drag on the global economic condition, and in this situation of dwindling resources, the essentials of maintaining societal function and stability (e.g., food provision, law and order, etc.) may be given priority over what could potentially become increasingly regarded as a ‘gold-plated’ luxury primarily for the benefit of future generations.

(iii) Geological disposal projects will require that a high degree of engagement and trust is established between the communities hosting disposal facilities, general populations, and the nations in question’s institutions (including local and national government, regulators and civil service), media, and the scientific authorities making the case for waste disposals being safe. This will need to be maintained over long time periods (the duration of the disposals and closure) to ensure ongoing consent and financial (and other) support remains in place [1].  The polycrisis could create progressively greater challenges to this as a result of changing trends in the way that information is being disseminated and used at societal and global scale, which is becoming a fundamental aspect (both cause and effect) of the polycrisis.

Communications and information management (along with other key aspects of society such as materials and energy) have been marked by numerous inflection points in terms of growth and change; inventions such as writing, the printing press, and most recently computing have driven profound changes.  This has continued into recent timeframes with exponential changes in the volume, nature, accessibility and application of information due to the internet, social media and increasingly, artificial intelligence.  In this recent context, misinformation and ‘fake news’ have experienced rapidly growing prevalence and reach, and have increasingly impacted trust in and the effectiveness of politics and institutions, challenged the authority of truthful information, and the cohesion of groups and societies [[8], [9]].  This could feasibly challenge the future viability of many aspects of societies but large, centralised ‘science’ projects such as geological disposal could in particular face ‘de-legitimatisation’ and faltering support which could ultimately threaten their delivery and completion.

In terms of the mechanisms by which the polycrisis could impact the implementation of geological disposal, the above points are far from exhaustive, but are a representative cross-section of the types of challenges that societies may face in applying large and expensive engineering solutions to problems (and perhaps in applying complexity as a problem-solving strategy in a more general sense) as the polycrisis deepens in future.  These sorts of challenges could therefore also feasibly apply to other future ‘big science’ responses to major challenges (e.g., geoengineering to address climate change).  However, it is the impacts that can’t be readily foreseen that may present greater challenges; the complex systems dynamics underlying the polycrisis are inherently unpredictable and counter-intuitive, and may see impacts ‘coming out of left field’ in ways that societies can’t and won’t expect and predict (as per the Tale of Two Canals example cited above).

Influence on the Polycrisis

Given that the polycrisis has the potential to impact the implementation of geological disposal in myriad ways, it is not a huge leap of logic to surmise that failures to implement these plans could themselves potentially contribute to the worsening of the polycrisis.  Enhancing feedback mechanisms of this sort will likely be key features and drivers of the polycrisis, and the following paragraphs explore examples of how these interactions and feedbacks may feasibly operate in the context of geological disposal:

(iv) The first and most direct risk from long-term failure to implement geological disposal relates to radioactive wastes remaining in surface storage in multiple locations globally. As global economic conditions likely become more challenging in coming years and decades (as described in ii above) a very worst case scenario would be the release and migration of concentrated stocks of radioactivity into the environment [7]. The impacts of such events would manifest in different ways at different scales, all of which could feed into the general polycrisis predicament through effects such as contamination of land and water resources, forcing of evacuations and migrations, and the sowing of panic and disruption.

At the large scales at which Earth Systems operate, radionuclides are described in the ‘planetary boundaries’ framework as comprising environmental ‘novel entities’ [8], with the potential to generate Earth System effects [[10]].  However, the mechanisms of this are currently poorly understood, and even large-scale migrations of radioactivity on the environment (as occurred due to nuclear weapons testing in the 1950-60s and from events such as the 1986 Chernobyl accident) do not appear to have generated broad-spectrum Earth System impacts in an equivalent way to the mass burning of fossil fuels (i.e., which has perturbed the global carbon cycle) and agriculture (i.e., which has perturbed the nitrogen/phosphorus cycles).  However, at smaller scales (i.e., regional, national or local) the impacts of such releases may be more acute and apparent, with potential for radioactivity to accumulate in environmental media (e.g., soils at local scale) and generate non-trivial risks.  Past radiological releases (as occurred at Chernobyl) have led to areas undergoing abandonment or evacuation, and this could therefore be a feasible outcome of the release of radioactivity from stored wastes.

(v) A potential secondary consequence of a future failure to effectively manage the radioactive waste legacy in different nations around the world may be in the form of changes in societal perceptions of risk, and trust in the ability of national institutions and authorities to manage such risks. ‘Radiophobia’ (fear of radiation and radioactive substances) is a phenomenon which co-developed with the appearance and spread of nuclear technologies, and a future scenario in which radioactive materials enter the environment without there being a remedial solution (i.e., geological disposal having not been implemented), could contribute to socio-political shifts.

Specifically, rising risks to people and the environment from a historical waste legacy which governments were unable or unwilling to decisively manage could generate an ongoing reduction in collective trust in institutions and belief in their ability to manage challenges arising from the polycrisis (even if lack of trust was a contributory factor in geological disposal not occurring in the first instance, as described in iii).  Although risks from radioactive release would likely be relatively small compared to other aspects of the polycrisis (e.g., climate change) the particular nature of radiophobia could mean that a failure to achieve geological disposal could form a significant aspect of a wider, self-reinforcing trend of growing disengagement with politics and civic society, and reducing effectiveness of governance and ability to manage escalating risks and disruption.

Wider Context and Conclusion

Nuclear technology has been a presence in technical civilisation for a number of decades, and has in that time been influential in a way few other technologies have.  Its most significant consequence is likely the legacy of radioactive wastes it has generated, which has accumulated in a variety of storage locations distributed through nations around the world.  Geological disposal has moved from the drawing board to reality (in some countries at least) as a means to remedy this problem, but implementing these plans will likely comprise some of the biggest, most complex and long-lived individual engineering projects civilisation has ever attempted.  To add to this challenge, geological disposal will likely be underway in parallel to global civilisation facing an unprecedented litany of challenges that have the potential to escalate into a collective predicament labelled as the polycrisis.

The polycrisis has the potential to challenge the implementation of geological disposal through a wide range of mechanisms, but it is the inherently unpredictable threats which may present the biggest challenges to achieving it.  If the various aspects of the polycrisis were to slow, challenge or prevent geological disposal being achieved, the unmitigated legacy could itself feasibly feed into the polycrisis via actual and/or perceived risks.  This complex relationship between the radioactive waste legacy and the wider context of the human predicament indicates that nuclear technology (more so than many others) may represent a ‘technology trap’ [9] in that historical commitments to its development have locked current and future generations into addressing the complex risks and externalities it has generated.  However, whether or not the pursuit of nuclear technology has been on balance a net benefit for humanity, the waste legacy it has generated persists and grows year on year, and we must therefore work to reduce risks to future generations, who might have much less resilience and adaptive capability.

Where the inherently unknowable future nature and threat of the polycrisis is concerned, the precautionary principle of minimising risks wherever possible should win out.  By that measure, geological disposal should be seen as an investment (or even an opportunity) in as much as it allows societies to gain control a discrete risk whilst that is still possible (i.e., before the effects of climate change, financial instability and misinformation really start to degrade global capabilities).  Therefore, any solutions we have within our collective gift that will contribute to getting risks under control now (particularly relatively limited and well bounded ones such as nuclear waste) before the polycrisis starts to really gain traction (for which the analogy ‘fixing the roof whilst the sun shines’ seems apt) should be urgently seized upon with everything we can collectively muster as a civilisation.

[1] Specifically, nuclear fission technologies; systems based on fusion processes are still largely experimental.

[2] The longest-lived anthropogenic radionuclides will remain hazardous on the order of >100,000 years.

[3] After eliminating low-credibility options such as launching waste into space or dropping it into volcanoes.

[4] This primarily refers to higher hazard wastes which contain higher concentrations of radionuclides in more volatile forms; lower hazard wastes will primarily be managed via alternative, cheaper approaches such as shallow burial.

[5] This frequently involves the waste materials being processed into stable solid forms using encapsulants such as cement, followed by emplacement in dedicated storage facilities.

[6] This will likely consist of sealing up of the facility, followed by a period of monitoring, and potentially the leaving of surface ‘markers’ to warn future generations of the hazards buried there.

[7] Release of radionuclides would likely not occur from passivated wastes, but could feasibly occur from any waste materials remaining in uncontrolled storage conditions.

[8] Others include chemical pollutants, microplastics and nano-materials.

[1]. El-Showk, S. (2022) Final Resting Place.  Science, 375, 6583.

[2].  SKB (2017) Developing Strategies for Acquisition and Control of Bentonite for a High Level Waste Repository.  Technical Report TR-16-14.

[3] Baily, R., Wellesley, L. (2017) Chokepoints and Vulnerabilities in Global Food Trade.  Chatham House Report.

[4]. Sandia National Laboratories (1993) Expert Judgement on Markers to Deter Inadvertent Human Intrusion into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.  Available online: https://wipp.info/ [Accessed 06 February 2024].

[5]. United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (2023) Uninsurable Future.  Available online:  https://interconnectedrisks.org/tipping-points/uninsurable-future [Accessed 02 February 2024].

[6]. Financial Times (2024) Overlapping crises could fracture the global financial system.  Available online: https://www.ft.com/content/71bd6ac7-43c9-45e2-ab85-020dded0d8b3 [Accessed 02 February 2024].

[7]. Hagens, N. (2020) Economics for the future – Beyond the superorganism.  Ecological Economics, Volume 169, 106520.

[8]. World Economic Forum (2023) How to rebuild trust in institutions: results, results, results.  Available online: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/12/how-to-rebuild-trust-in-philanthropy-results-results-results/ [Accessed 02 February 2024].

[9]. Jørgensen, P. S. et al. (2023) Evolution of the polycrisis: Anthropocene traps that challenge global sustainability.  Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 379: 20220261.

[10]. Persson, L. et al. (2022) Outside the Safe Operating Space of the Planetary Boundary for Novel Entities.  Environmental Science & Technology, 56, 3, 1510–1521.

Teaser photo credit; The Onkalo is a planned deep geological repository for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel[59][60] near the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant in Eurajoki, on the west coast of Finland. Picture of a pilot cave at final depth in Onkalo. By kallerna – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32382738

4 Recommended Reads for World Day of Social Justice

In celebration of World Day of Social Justice, BSG’s Alfred Landecker Professor of Values and Public Policy, Jonathan Wolff recommends four central texts on social justice.
Estimated reading time: 

20 February 2024

Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom (Penguin, 1999)
In Development as Freedom, Sen emphasises the centrality of freedom in fostering individual agency and societal progress. Published in 1999, Sen's seminal work critiques traditional economic frameworks that prioritise GDP growth over social welfare, arguing instead for a holistic approach that prioritises political, economic, and social freedoms. Through his "capability approach," Sen advocates for investments in education, healthcare, and social security to enhance individuals' capabilities and expand their choices, advocating for a more equitable and just society.

Martha Nussbaum, Women and Human Development (CUP, 2000)

In "Women and Human Development," Martha Nussbaum presents a vision of what it means to be human and emphasizes the vital role of the state in fostering human capabilities and dignity. Nussbaum argues that being fully human entails more than mere rationality or happiness; it involves the possession of fundamental capabilities, including the ability to love, think critically, engage in dignified labour, and participate in society's cultural life. She contends that constitutional governments have a moral obligation to protect and promote these capabilities, ensuring that citizens have access to essential resources such as education, healthcare, and dignified work. Nussbaum's "capabilities approach" envisions a society where individuals can flourish as functioning citizens, free from fear and able to pursue a life of dignity and fulfilment. By emphasizing the positive obligations of the state to nurture human capabilities, Nussbaum offers a perspective on social justice and human development

.

Iris Marion Young, Responsibility for Justice (OUP, 2011)

In "Responsibility for Justice," Iris Marion Young provides an analysis of structural injustice and proposes a theory of responsibility aimed at addressing it. Young criticizes discourses about poverty that overly emphasize personal shortcomings while neglecting the systemic barriers that limit opportunities for the impoverished. She argues against both conservative and liberal approaches that fail to account for the role of social structures in perpetuating injustice. She introduces a "social connection model of responsibility," inspired by Hannah Arendt, which distinguishes responsibility from guilt and emphasizes forward-looking efforts to reshape social practices. Young contends that while individuals may not be blameworthy for contributing to structural injustices, they bear a responsibility to rectify these systemic issues. By shifting the focus from individual culpability to collective action, Young's theory offers a transformative framework for addressing and combating structural injustice in society

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John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (OUP, revised edition, 1999)

In "A Theory of Justice", a seminal work in political philosophy, Rawls presents a comprehensive framework for understanding justice in society. Rawls critiques existing theories that prioritize individual rights or utility maximization, proposing instead a conception of justice based on principles of fairness and equality. He introduces the concept of the "original position" where individuals, behind a "veil of ignorance," would choose principles of justice without knowledge of their own social position. From this perspective, Rawls argues for two principles of justice: the principle of equal basic liberties and the difference principle, which allows for social and economic inequalities only if they benefit the least advantaged members of society. Rawls' theory aims to create a just society that prioritizes the well-being of the most vulnerable while maintaining individual freedom and autonomy.

And if you want to find out more about Professor Jo Wolff’s own ideas on social justice…

Jonathan Wolff and Avner de Shalit, Disadvantage (OUP, 2007)

"Disadvantage" by Jonathan Wolff and Avner de-Shalit offers insights into social justice by examining inequality and proposing practical solutions to address disadvantage. Through a blend of philosophy and empirical research, the book highlights the need for community engagement and policy interventions to tackle systemic barriers to equality of opportunity.

Jonathan Wolff

Alfred Landecker Professor of Values and Public Policy

Tech expert bravely speaks out after enduring sexual abuse in the metaverse, advocates for safer online spaces

The moment I entered, I saw three male avatars. Within seconds, before I could settle in, they approached me. It felt like they planned it, moving in an organized manner and surrounding me.


\Juan Martinez

ORATO WORLD
February 19, 2024

Nina Patel delivering a speech advocating for safety in the Metaverse and augmented reality spaces. | Photo courtesy of Nina Jane Patel

JOURNALIST’S NOTES

INTERVIEW SUBJECT
Nina Jane Patel, a 45-year-old mother of four, is a global leader in technology and advocate for safe metaverse integration. As the co-founder and VP of Metaverse Research at Kabuni, she pioneers secure virtual environments for children. Recognized with the Canada Council for the Arts Award in 2022 and appointed as a Metaverse expert for Interpol in 2023, Nina’s research delves into the physiological and psychological impacts of immersive experiences in the Metaverse. As a registered movement psychotherapist and member of RSA, ISPA, and APAP, she drives innovation at the intersection of culture, mental health, and technology, aiming for a future where technology enhances human well-being.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The term “Metaverse” gained prominence in everyday discourse following Meta’s 2021 announcement, formerly known as Facebook Inc., led by Mark Zuckerberg. This virtual environment enables user interaction through avatars, offering a parallel universe experience. While virtual worlds existed prior, the Metaverse aims to simulate real-life activities within a digital realm, introducing platforms like Horizon Home, Horizon World, and Horizon Rooms. Rooted in Neal Stephenson’s 1992 novel ‘Snow Crash,’ the Metaverse represents a three-dimensional or virtual workspace, mirroring physical reality. For further insights, consult article here.

LONDON, United Kingdom — The experience of being sexually abused in the metaverse felt chilling and painful. Many people believe virtual reality cannot have real life consequences, but I lived it. The abuse brought back memories of harassment from my youth and left me feeling anguished. As a woman who works in technology, I consider it a key tool in people’s development, but I have concerns about building safe spaces.

Into the Metaverse: “Soon, the avatar felt like me: like an extension of my own body.”

In 2018, while listening to and recording podcasts, I dove headfirst into the psychological impact of technology on people, researching the topic fervently. Completely absorbed but what I read; it became one of my primary passions. I saw how technologies in their infancy could have affects in ways we could not predict. I became obsessed in my study of areas like augmented reality, the metaverse, and exponential technologies.

I experienced each new environment thinking about safety and education for youth. Each new technology I encountered brought in more natural body movements and increasingly realistic environments. When the Facebook company Meta introduced a new metaverse in the United Kingdom in December 2021, I instantly wanted to explore it.

In the industry, we talked about this technology often, but only now were people beginning to access it. I felt curious how they would react and operate in what was previously a very niche space. One afternoon, while working from home, I logged in to experiment. My children wouldn’t be home from school for a few hours, and it seemed an ideal time to immerse myself in this parallel universe. I excitedly put on my headset.

Looking through the options, I selected my avatar which closely resembled me physically. It felt like seeing myself in a mirror. Connecting psychologically with my avatar, I began moving my hands and seeing the same movement on screen. Soon, the avatar felt like me: like an extension of my own body. It’s designed that way; the development seeks identification between the person and the avatar. Neurologically, we connect with the image. Though I know this due to my profession, the sensation felt so powerful.
The instant I entered the Metaverse three male avatars surrounded me

For a period of time, I practiced moving using the controls in the metaverse. When I felt ready, I entered the shared space, which felt like a conference room or lobby. The moment I entered, I saw three male avatars. Within seconds, before I could settle in, they approached me. It felt like they planned it, moving in an organized manner and surrounding me.

They began verbally harassing me and being obscene and aggressive. Almost instantly, they transitioned from verbal to physical, touching my avatar. It felt like a first-person experience; not like watching a scene in a movie. The abuse was happening to me.


Nina Patel’s virtual representation in the metaverse. | Photo courtesy of Nina Jane Patel



I saw their hands and their bodies and experienced their movements and touches. The audio simultaneously allowed me to hear them all around me. I felt them behind me, next to me, and in front of me. With the advancement of technology, the barrier between the virtual and physical world felt very finite. The experience became authentic and real.

In that distressing moment, the first thought in my mind was, “I did something wrong.” Maybe I selected the wrong avatar or wore suggestive clothing. The same questions women have in the streets when they suffer harassment, came to my mind in the metaverse. Though I knew it wasn’t my fault, I couldn’t help but analyze my actions. “What did I do to cause this,” I wondered.

While I had no physical sensations, I wondered what happens when technology advances even more? People will use available technologies to commit crimes. If they could go further, I believe they would. Some say without physical penetration, this situation cannot be called sexual abuse. I ask, “Does that make it okay?”
In shock and alone in her home: woman decides to tell her story about abuse in the Metaverse

When I pulled off my headset, I felt myself panicking. The chaos of the moment left me confused. With no one else in my home, I had to deal with the shock alone. The helplessness felt the same as being harassed in the streets. The trauma of abuse in the metaverse felt as real as abuse in the physical world.

Growing up in the 1990s, it felt more common to be talked about and looked at as a sexual object. As a woman, I simply dealt with it, but things have changed. Today, I refuse to tolerate this behavior and remain determined to contribute to a world where my daughters do not have to experience this – physically or virtually.

The rest of that day, images of the incident replayed in my head as I tried to understand what happened. Each time, a horrible feeling of anguish and anger overcame me. I imagined those people, still in the metaverse, harassing other avatars and I felt repulsed.

While I am introvert, I have dedicated my work and activism to defending women and girls in technological environments, so I forced myself to share my story the next day. It took courage to put myself out there, but I knew it was important to shed light on the psychological and philosophical impacts of what I went through; to spur conversation about the moral implications of technological innovation.

Immediately, the industry reacted negatively, accusing me of trying to scare people away from the metaverse and spreading panic. They said, “People don’t adopt technology because stories like mine make them afraid.” I believe in technology and want it in our daily lives, but not like this.
Woman experiences major backlash in the industry, receives violent and threatening messages

Comments of all kinds rolled in after I told my story. Some made of fun me while others called me stupid. Still more sent hateful messages. The aftermath caused even more pain. When a very kind journalist offered to interview me, I agreed. An hour after publishing the article, two emails arrived in my inbox from strangers.

The second I opened them, the violence I encountered shocked me. These strangers threatened to rape me in person and rape my daughters. Though all of these experiences hurt deeply, I refuse to remain silent. Exposure is necessary. The legal implications remain more complex. Traditional laws focus on physical interactions but the Metaverse blurs these boundaries and raises questions about jurisdiction, enforceability, and the very definitions of a crime.

For example, if an assault occurs in a virtual environment, the legal system must deal with the nature of the crime. Is it similar to a physical assault, harassment, or is it something completely new?

These questions only reinforced my commitment to working on safer technology. Recently, I partnered with a university in London to teach four through 12 year olds how to use the metaverse with care. I watched their interactions, what they wore, and how they moved. We explained their rights, when to know if something is wrong, and how to report it.

Malaysia’s Islamist party applauds PM Anwar’s vow to put sharia bill back before parliament

PM Anwar Ibrahim’s administration plans to revive a contentious bill which carries harsh penalties – including whipping – in sharia courts

The plan to table Bill 355 may add more fuel to Malaysia’s culture wars amid surging religious conservatism and Malay nationalism

Joseph Sipalan
20 Feb, 2024

The Islamist Parti Islam Se Malaysia (PAS) has given its full-throated support to a government plan to revive a contentious bill allowing sharia courts to impose harsher penalties – including more severe whipping – which has previously stirred fevered debate over secularism and Islam in Malaysia.
The drive to reassert the influence of Islamic religious courts follows a landmark ruling by the federal court on February 9 which rolled back sharia criminal law amendments in PAS-led Kelantan state.

The ruling caused alarm among some Islamist elements, who appeared on the ascendancy after a sequence of recent poll victories. These leaders say it is the responsibility of all Muslims to support efforts to elevate laws prescribed in the Koran.

The court ruling has also prompted Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration into vowing to pursue Bill 355, a controversial piece of legislation on sharia legal reforms tabled in parliament by PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang in 2016, as part of a pledge to empower the country’s Islamic legal system.

PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang first tabled Bill 355 in parliament in 2016. 

Photo: AFP

While some experts determine the strengthening sharia court powers is principally political theatre, PAS says the government’s vow is a continuation of the work of Perikatan Nasional, the coalition which led Malaysia during the pandemic years and counts PAS as a member.


Those efforts include attempts to raise amendments granting sharia courts the power to issue significantly heftier penalties that include flogging.

“Praise be to God, the religious affairs minister has given his guarantee that amendments under Bill 355 will be carried out this year,” PAS Deputy President Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said in a statement on Monday. “Hence, the efforts by the previous government should be supported and gain approval in parliament by the majority of elected representatives.”

Malaysia’s apex court quashes state’s expansion of sharia law
9 Feb 2024


The role and reach of sharia laws was thrust back into the spotlight earlier this month when the country’s apex court ruled that amendments to Kelantan’s sharia criminal code – passed by the state assembly in 2021 and broadened to include 18 acts deemed crimes under Islamic law – had breached federal powers and were unconstitutional.

The plan to table Bill 355, however, may add more fuel to Malaysia’s culture wars amid surging religious conservatism and Malay nationalism.

Malaysia practises a unique dual legal system, with civil law governing most aspects of life in the multicultural nation of 33 million people, while sharia law is limited to Muslims in the country and deals specifically with family matters and the practice of Islam.

A mosque in Kelantan. PAS and Islamist groups have long pushed for the expansion of the sharia courts’ jurisdiction to include criminal prosecution.

Photo: Shutterstock

PAS and Islamist groups, however, have long pushed for the expansion of the sharia courts’ jurisdiction to include criminal prosecution, which currently lies almost exclusively under civil law, and the implementation of hudud law, or Islamic penal law, which prescribes harsh penalties for crimes.

The original bill tabled by Abdul Hadi sought to raise the maximum penalties that can be meted out by the sharia courts to fines of up to 100,000 ringgit (US$20,900), 30 years in jail and up to 100 strokes of the cane.

Existing penalties under the sharia legal system are limited to fines of 5,000 ringgit and three years’ jail. Repeat offenders for certain crimes such as proximity between unmarried couples also face up to six strokes of the cane.

Opinion: What Kelantan’s upended sharia push reveals about PAS’ Islamist politicking
16 Feb 2024


Analysts say Anwar’s pledge to put Bill 355 back to parliament was a necessary public move to quell dissent over the federal court’s decision, and deflect accusations of being secular or liberal – favoured terms used by Islamists and conservative groups when criticising Anwar and his allies for allegedly ignoring the plight of the Malay-Muslim majority.

“This whole question of whether Malaysia is an Islamic or secular state has never been settled, and I don’t see it being settled,” said Syaza Farhana Mohamad Shukri, head of the political science department at the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

“I feel like it’s kind of our permanent impermanence in which we have to seek compromises,” she said.

Critics, particularly among Anwar’s allies in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, accused Abdul Hadi of attempting to undermine the federal constitution at the time the bill was last introduced.

Now they query why Anwar appears to be backing it for political reasons.

PAS supporters in Kelantan ride with the party’s flags on November 18, 2022, ahead of the general election. 

Photo: Shutterstock

“PH was completely opposed to the amendments under Bill 355 when PAS proposed it. Day and night, PH supporters criticised PAS’ proposal,” Endie Shazlie, a former press secretary to two-time leader Mahathir Mohamad, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Anwar, who has struggled to win over Malay support after a deeply divided national election in 2022, panned the past administration for neglecting the legal reforms needed to elevate the status of the sharia courts.

“Was this done previously? No. You can check, we have set up a committee to study [the proposals] but they use this to divide us,” Anwar reportedly said when launching an event on Sunday.

PAS rose to federal power between 2020 and 2022 as part of a Malay nationalist administration which emerged from the political coup that brought down Mahathir’s government during his second stint as prime minister.



Joseph Sipalan has done extensive reporting of Malaysia, specialising in politics and more recently macro-economics. An alumnus of Reuters and several major Malaysian news organisations.

Guyana’s President Calls for Rapid Gas Resource Development

ByJuan Martinez
February 19, 2024

President Irfaan Ali of Guyana is pushing for the swift development of the nation’s gas resources.

This effort is aimed at establishing Guyana as a leading power in regional energy, supplementing its booming oil exports.

At the Guyana Energy Conference & Supply Chain Expo in Georgetown, Ali called on companies to propose methods for ramping up gas production.

The next decade is crucial for capitalizing on Guyana’s gas reserves, marking a period of monetization and optimization.

Exxon Mobil Corp., responsible for discovering oil in Guyana in 2015, is rapidly increasing output with a goal of reaching 1.2 million barrels daily by 2028.

Guyana’s President Calls for Rapid Gas Resource Development. (Photo Internet reproduction)

This boost will prominently position Guyana on the global oil map.

However, the nation’s waters also hold vast natural gas reserves, which Exxon presently re-injects as a byproduct.

Ali sees this gas as a key to economic growth, aiming to turn Guyana into a hub for manufacturing and agriculture.

The vision for gas utilization might necessitate regional collaboration due to production and transportation costs.

Execution could cut energy costs, expand manufacturing, and enhance exports, notably from northern Brazil.

Ali plans a $1 billion pipeline for domestic power, initially delivering 50 million cubic feet daily.

In short, investments in Guyana’s grid aim to halve energy expenses, ensuring reliability and fostering economic growth.

Bold New History Of Asian Identity – Book Review

"Asia after Europe," by Sugata Bose

 February 20, 2024  

By Subir Bhaumik

Rarely would one read a history of thought and one of an evolving continental identity as exciting as Sugato Bose’s “Asia after Europe: Imagining a Continent in the Long Twentieth Century”. The book is a wonderful “concise new history” of a century of struggles to define Asian identity and express alternatives to European forms of universalism. But the real appeal of the book is that it encompasses many pointers to the future, the most important being you cannot imagine Asia differently from the West until you break free of the shackles of European colonial era map making. 

The shift of global power balance that raises hope of an ‘Asian Century’ in our time has always demanded rigorous examination of what constitutes an Asian identity and a closer look at efforts to define it over centuries of servitude during the long phase of European colonial subjugation of the ancient Continent. 

Fellow Bengali Nobel laureate Amartya Sen is right in describing the book as a “brilliant history of continental connections which offers vital lessons for Asia’s shared future.” 

The balance of global power has changed profoundly over the course of the twentieth century, above all with the economic and political rise of Asia. “Asia after Europe” is a bold new interpretation of the period, focusing on the conflicting and overlapping ways in which Asians have conceived their bonds and their roles in the world. 

Tracking the circulation of ideas and people across colonial and national borders, Sugata Bose explores developments in Asian thought, art, and politics that defied Euro-American models and defined Asianness as a locus of solidarity for all humanity.

Impressive in scale, yet driven by the stories of fascinating and influential individuals, “Asia after Europe” examines early intimations of Asian solidarity and universalism preceding Japan’s victory over Russia in 1905; the revolutionary collaborations of the First World War and its aftermath, when Asian universalism took shape alongside Wilsonian internationalism and Bolshevism; the impact of the Great Depression and Second World War on the idea of Asia; and the persistence of forms of Asian universalism in the postwar period, despite the consolidation of postcolonial nation-states on a European model.

Bose takes an intimate look at diverse Asian universalisms were forged and fractured through phases of poverty and prosperity, among elites and common people, throughout the span of the twentieth century. Noting the endurance of nationalist rivalries, often tied to religious exclusion and violence, Bose concludes with reflections on the continuing potential of political thought beyond European definitions of reason, nation, and identity.

Across the twentieth century, Asians have been coming up with  universalist ideals centered on the idea of Asia itself, rivaling European colonial thought, liberalism, and race-based nationalisms. Sugata Bose explores the history of Asian universalisms and reflects on their potential amid ongoing nationalist rivalries tied to religious majoritarianism and violence.

Rarely has one found “a trenchant, capacious and moving feast of historical interpretation” as readable as a captivating thriller. Truth and history can be stranger than fiction but Bose has made his history of Imagining Asia more exciting — and eminently readable- than many great works of contemporary fiction.

“In this enthralling intellectual history of a continent, Bose breaks out of European referents to focus on the mobility of Asian people, ideas, and imaginaries. A pathbreaking foray into the making of modern Asia,” says Seema Alavi of Ashoka University.

Observes Wang Gungwu of the National University of Singapore: “This is a deeply felt and carefully argued book. Sugata Bose captures the hopes and misjudgments of generations of Asian thinkers. He makes us wonder if the US-led international system based on sovereign nation-states and the new nationalisms that this system produced might have lured Asia too far for its alternative forms of universalism to succeed.” 

Sugata Bose, the Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University, is the author of “His Majesty’s Opponent: Subhas Chandra Bose and India’s Struggle against Empire” and “A Hundred Horizons: The Indian Ocean in the Age of Global Empire”.

In addition, he is grandson of India’s independence war hero “Netaji” Subhas Chandra Bose, who alongwith fellow Bengali and Asia’s first Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, subscribed to the idea of a distinct Asian identity. Sugato Bose draws on Tagore’s voyages across Asia in the years after he was awarded the Nobel for Literature and his grand interactions with the Japanese Okakura and China’s Lian Qichao and Kang Youwei to portray the evolution of a modern Asian thoughtzone. 

After Pankaj Mishra’s “From The Ruins of Empire,” one has not come across as comprehensive a survey of the evolving Asiatic thought zone in the era of colonial rule as Bose’s “Asia after Europe”. 

“My decision to write this book stemmed from the conviction that the phenomenon described as the rise of Asia had to be placed in proper historical perspective. It is a history of Asia as a connected space not only after the European colonial presence, but also a conceptual history of universalism and cosmopolitanism that moves beyond European definitions of reason, national identity, and federation. Asia stands today at the end of an era as alternative futures beckon. This book offers my interpretation of the changing balance of global power during the long twentieth century between Asia and Euro-America by painting a portrait of an age,” says Prof. Bose.

Subir Bhaumik is a former BBC and Reuters correspondent and author of books on South Asian conflicts.

 

US Congress Aims To Extend Warrantless Surveillance For The Foreseeable Future – OpEd

 February 20, 2024 

By K. Lloyd Billingsley

Late last year, Congress extended Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and, in doing so, secured “the nation’s warrantless surveillance powers” until April 2024. With that month fast approaching, House Republicans have unveiled a new package to reauthorize those same powers, within limits

As The Hill reports, the new package “focus[es] on more reforms at the FBI to address misuse of the powerful spy tool,” but the deal does not include requirements for a warrant, which is “deemed a red line for the intelligence community but nonetheless a top priority for privacy advocates in Congress.”

The new measure “would severely limit the number of FBI personnel who can query the database, forcing more oversight from some 550 supervisors or lawyers before agents can tap into the database to gain information on Americans.” The bill aims to “protect members of Congress or other high-profile officials” by requiring consent before a “defensive briefing.”

The FBI will be required to “notify a member of Congress, with some limitation, if they have been queried in the 702 database.” As members of Congress and the public may have noticed, the FBI, tasked with counterintelligence, has become a law unto itself.

Last August, an FBI squad gunned down Craig Robertson, a 75-year-old woodworker, for things he had allegedly posted online. The killing was reportedly under review by the FBI’s Inspection Division, but as of this writing there has been no investigation by Congress. As members may have noted, the FBI now operates along partisan lines.

As Newsweek headlined last Oct. 4, “Donald Trump Followers Targeted by FBI as 2024 Election Nears.” According to the report, the FBI has “quietly created a new category of extremists that it seeks to track and counter: Donald Trump’s army of MAGA followers.”

A “senior FBI official” told Newsweek: “We cannot and do not investigate ideology. We focus on individuals who commit or intend to commit violence or criminal activity that constitutes a federal crime or poses a threat to national security.” The people have cause to wonder.

The FBI failed to stop the 1993 bomb attack on the World Trade Center, the massive terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001, the terrorist mass murders at Fort Hood in 2009, the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, and terrorist mass murders in San Bernardino in 2015 and Orlando in 2016, with 49 dead. On the other hand, the FBI surveilled and harassed such dangerous criminals as singer Aretha Franklin and actress Jean Seberg.

While assessing the FBI, members of Congress might read Neutering the CIA: Why US Intelligence versus Trump Has Long-Term Consequences. Former CIA analyst John A. Gentry charts a woke agency now deployed against “another serious candidacy by Trump,” with units ready for reactivation “if even a traditional Republican again becomes president.” This from an agency tasked with providing intelligence on foreign adversaries.

As Gentry notes, the entire “Intelligence Community” failed to prevent the attack of Sept. 11, 2001, and for this failure was rewarded with bigger budgets. With the secretive IC now active in domestic politics, massive failures become more likely, with many innocent lives at stake. The CIA, like the FBI, has become a law unto itself.

The real question for federal lawmakers is whether the CIA and FBI are even reformable, and how the people’s representatives might hold them accountable. Instead they seek to prolong surveillance measures that, as critics rightly contend, have no place in a free and democratic society.

Members of Congress get special protections, but so far there’s no word about safeguards against warrantless surveillance for pro-life activists, protesting parents, and devout Catholics—all regarded as dangerous extremists by the current FBI. Journalists, especially those who are critical of the bureau, also have cause for concern. They can take it as a sign that Big Brother is watching, as George Orwell wrote in 1984—or, in the style of Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, here’s still looking at you, kid.

This article was also published in The American Spectator

IRONIC THE RIGHT DEFENDED FISA WHEN IT WAS INTRODUCED UNDER GEORGE W. BUSH AFTER 9/11 NOW THEY REALIZE THEY ARE THE DEEP STATE

K. Lloyd Billingsley

K. Lloyd Billingsley is a Policy Fellow at the Independent

 Institute and a columnist at The Daily Caller.

Mysterious Ancient Language Revealed on Bronze Hand From 2,100 Years Ago

Published Feb 19, 2024 

Archaeologists Discover Previously Unknown Language From Ancient Tablet
By Aristos Georgiou
Science and Health Reporter

A bronze hand from 2,100 years ago has revealed rare evidence of a mysterious ancient language, with researchers determining that the inscription is the oldest and longest example of Vasconic to date.

A team of researchers analyzed the artifact, found at the site of an Iron Age hillfort known as Irulegi in Navarre, northern Spain, for a newly published study in the journal Antiquity—and also suggested the words written on it could be linked to modern-day Basque.

Vasconic was spoken by a pre-Roman people known as the Vascones, who once inhabited the western Pyrenees in an area that corresponds primarily with modern-day Navarre, as well as parts of the Spanish regions of La Rioja and Aragon. And as one of only a few known examples of it, the inscription offers fascinating insights into one of Europe's least understood ancient languages.

The bronze hand found at the Irulegi hillfort site in Navarre, Spain. The artifact, which dates to around 2,100 years ago, features an inscription of a rare ancient language, a study has found.

ANTIQUITY

The Irulegi hillfort is located at the summit of a peak of the same name in the foothills of the Pyrenees, a mountain range that straddles the border of France and Spain.

"Its long sequence of occupation and excellent state of preservation make it one of the most significant fortified settlements in the western Pyrenees," the study authors wrote.

Yet the Navarre foothills have received little archaeological attention to date and the Iron Age societies of this area remain poorly known.

"In particular, beyond insights from the Roman-period literature, very little is understood about the language, writing, identity and beliefs of these pre-Roman Vasconic communities," the researchers added.

With relatively few examples of pre-Roman writing recovered from the territories once inhabited by the Vascones, this has previously led to the assumption that this group was a pre-literate society. But the results of the latest study help to challenge this view, providing support for a growing awareness that the ancient Vascones knew and made use of writing—at least to a degree.

The researchers conducted a detailed linguistic analysis of the script on the hand, finding that it may be related to the Basque language, which is predominantly spoken in a region at the western edge of the Pyrenees on both sides of the Spain-France border.

Mount Irulegi and the Aranguren Valley in Navarre, Spain. This peak is home to the Iron Age hillfort where the Bronze hand was found.

ANTIQUITY

Basque, or Euskara, is considered by linguists to be a language isolate, meaning it has no direct links to any other known language family. In fact, it is the last surviving descendent of the "Paleo-European" languages. These predate the Indo-European languages brought to the continent by migrants from the Eurasian Steppe during the Bronze Age, which are now dominant in the region today.

A number of hypotheses have been proposed over the centuries to explain the origin of Basque, but no links to other languages have been definitively established. Perhaps the only plausible idea put forward to date connects Basque to the Aquitaine language spoken in southwestern France.

The bronze hand, which features an inscription in the ancient Vasconic language, according to researchers. This language may have links to modern Basque, a study has suggested.

ANTIQUITY

While much more research will be required to tie the script found on the bronze hand to Basque, the inscription provides tantalizing evidence of a potential link.

The researchers suggest that the first word may be spelled in the Latin alphabet as "sorioneku" or "sorioneke"—both of which bear a resemblance to the Basque word "zorioneko," meaning "of good fortune."

A map shows the location of the Iron Age Irulegi settlement in the Aranguren Valley, in northern Spain.

© OpenStreetMap contributors

A map shows the location of the Iron Age Irulegi settlement in the Aranguren Valley, in northern Spain. The bronze hand was found at the hillfort site, which is located at the summit of a mountain in the western Pyrenees.

Map: Ian RandallCreated with Datawrapper

"The discovery of the Hand of Irulegi has opened a new horizon to unravel the history behind the most enigmatic language still alive in Europe: the Basque language," Mikel Edeso Egia from the Aranzadi Science Society—a non-profit organization based in Spain's Basque region that coordinated the research team—said in a press release. "Unearthing this exceptional object has brought significant advances in the archaeological and linguistic worlds. But it has also opened up many new questions."

The similarity with the Basque word for good fortune also fits with the location of the artifact's discovery—in 2021, with the script spotted the following year—at the entrance of a domestic building in the center of the hillfort. In combination with the inscription, this indicates that the bronze hand was an important object for the settlement's residents.

The researchers suggest that it may have been hung outside the entrance of a property as a good-luck charm, or as a dedication to a pre-Roman deity.

An illustration showing how and where the bronze hand was likely displayed. Researchers believe that it may have served as a good-luck charm, or was dedicated to a pre-Roman deity.

ANTIQUITY

"The Irulegi hand must be considered as a well-integrated element within the cultural context of the settlement," the study's lead author, Mattin Aiestaran with the University of the Basque Country, said. "The hand would have had a ritual function, either to attract good luck or as an offering to an indigenous god or goddess of fortune."

Aiestaran added that the lack of comparative texts makes it difficult, currently, to prove a direct link between the Vasconic language spoken at Irulegi and present-day Basque.

But the inscription on the hand suggests that other closely related languages may have persisted at least until the Romans arrived in the region, according to the researchers.