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Costs, Risks, and Myths of Nuclear Power

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Costs, Risks, and Myths of Nuclear Power Costs, risks, and myths of nuclear power NGO world-wide study on the implications of the catastrophe at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station coordinated by Reaching Critical Will a project of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom © 2011 Reaching Critical Will of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Permission is granted for non-commerical reporduction, copying, distribution, and transmission of this publication or parts thereof so long as full credit is given to the coordinating project and organization, editor, and relevant authors; the text is not altered, transformed, or built upon; and for any reuse or distribution, these terms are made clear to others. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors alone. Institutional affiliations are provided for purposes of identification only and do not imply endorsement of the content herein. Front cover image: Lance Page / t r u t h o u t . o r g Remixed under a creative commons licence Design and layout: Ray Acheson Costs, risks, and myths of nuclear power NGO world-wide study on the implications of the catastrophe at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station Edited by RAY ACHESON Contributing authors RAY ACHESON Reaching Critical Will of WILPF KOZUE AKIBAYASHI WILPF Japan ANDRÉ AMARAL Ecogreens EDEL HAVIN BEUKES WILPF Norway LISA CLARK Beati i costruttori di pace SHARON DOLEV Regional Peace and Disarmament Movement, Israel MARGUERITE FINN WILPF United Kingdom ANTONY FROGGATT Independent energy consultant XANTHE HALL International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War DIMITY HAWKINS Independent activist, researcher, writer CINTHIA HEANNA Lawyer and campaigner for Mayors for Peace FELICITY HILL WILPF Australia BERTCHEN KOHRS Earthlife Namibia DOMINIQUE LALANNE Abolition 2000-Europe ANNIE MATUNDU MBAMBI WILPF Democratic Republic of the Congo ROBERTO MEREGALLI Beati i construttori di pace LYDIA MERYLL National Assembly of Women, WILPF United Kingom, SERA ZIA MIAN Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University ABDUL H. NAYYAR Renewable Energy and Clean Fuel Program, Sustainable Energy Policy Institute MARY OLSON Nuclear Information and Resource Service SUVRAT RAJU Coalition for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament M.V. RAMANA Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University EMMA ROSENGREN WILPF Sweden ZACH RUITER Ontario Clean Air Alliance JÜRGEN SCHEFFRAN International Network of Engineers and Scientists Against Proliferation MYCLE SCHNEIDER Independent energy and nuclear policy consultant ALICE SLATER Nuclear Age Peace Foundation SUSI SNYDER WILPF Netherlands CAROLIEN VAN DE STADT WILPF Netherlands DAVE SWEENEY Australian Conservation Foundation PHILIP WHITE Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center, Tokyo (formerly) KARIN WURZBACHER Munich Environmental Institute To the victims of the tsunami, earthquake, and nuclear disaster that struck Japan on 11 March 2011 Contents Preface 6 Introduction 8 Who, what, where: the nuclear fuel cycle’s footprint 11 Overview of the Fukushima nuclear disaster 14 Costs, risks, and myths of nuclear power No escape from accidents 26 Nuclear weapons and nuclear power 30 Poisoned pathways: impacts of the nuclear fuel chain 33 Nuclear energy and climate change: limits and risks 37 A sustainable planet: shifting the energy paradigm 40 Nuclear power vs. renewable energy 42 Civil society reports from around the world Australia 46 Brazil 50 Canada 54 Democratic Republic of Congo 59 France 60 Germany 61 India 65 Israel 68 Italy 72 Japan 76 Namibia 81 Netherlands 85 Norway 86 Pakistan 88 Sweden 92 United Kingdom 94 United States 99 Annexes Annex 1: Letter from Yvonne Margarula to Ban Ki-moon 104 Annex 2: Letter from IPPNW to Prime Minister Kan 106 Annex 3: Other important resources 109 Costs, risks, and myths of nuclear power 5 Preface Kozue Akibayashi ix months have already passed since the earthquake point out the dangers of nuclear energy despite the dif- Sand tsunami that literally devastated the Tohoku, ficulties of being ostracized in the industry because of the northeast area of Japan, on 11 March 2011. In Japan, their criticism of nuclear energy and its policies, des- not a single day has gone by without hearing about the perately tried to disseminate information on the Inter- victims. More than 20,000 people have died or are still net because that was the only possible media outlet for missing as a result of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake them. Major media did not report their analyses of the and a series of tsunamis that surpassed what had been plant’s conditions nor radiation leak. predicted. More than 80,000 have lost their homes and It has been reported recently that many residents in in many cases their entire community, and remain dis- the surrounding areas of the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant placed to this day. Even to the people of Japan—pos- had to make decisions about evacuation without suf- sibly the best-prepared for large-scale earthquakes and ficient information and headed to locations that were tsunamis because of the country’s long earthquake- later revealed to have been contaminated with higher prone history—the power of this catastrophe was be- levels of radiation, because their assumption of the yond our imagination. The reconstruction of the re- wind direction was incorrect. If the Japanese govern- gion will require long-term efforts of the entire nation ment, the Nuclear Safety Committee, the Ministry of and international cooperation. Economy, Trade and Industry, the Nuclear and Indus- The earthquake and tsunamis are gone, but we are trial Safety Agency, and the Tokyo Electric Power Com- now left to cope with something very different: ra- pany had provided the information on wind direction diation. The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station, one of the oldest nuclear power plants in Ja- pan, with some of its reactors hav- ing been in operation for nearly 40 years, was severely wrecked by the earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011. Soon after that, the plant managers lost control; explo- sions, meltdowns, and the release of radioactive materials followed. We were not told what was actually going on at the time. The Japanese government’s daily press confer- ence did not confirm what many suspected: that massive radiation was leaking into the soil, water, and air. We first learned from foreign sources about the hydrogen explo- sions of the plant’s containment buildings on 14 March and after. photo: NHK Tv; A member of the ‘Fukushima 50,’ workers who remained It has been an extremely frustrat- onsite after the disaster to bring the reactors under control. ing six months, particularly for those living in the vi- and the simulation of radiation spread that they had cinity of Fukushima Dai-ichi who have been displaced, already had, these residents could have made different not knowing what will happen nor when or even if they decisions. Now many residents are struggling with very will ever return home. Nobody in a responsible posi- little help to figure out what safety measures they can tion has provided necessary information to the pub- take, especially to protect children who are more vulner- lic about the status of the radiation leaks, anticipated able to radiation. Such stories of undermining the safe- impacts, or policies to ensure the safety of people. The ty of people are, very unfortunately, legion, and even to nuclear scientists who have been working for years to this day we feel left in dark with no good information. Now we, in Japan, are facing serious radiation spread nationwide, if not worldwide. The leak and contami- Kozue Akibayashi is former international vice-president of the nation have been continuing. Radioactive cesium has Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) been detected in beef from the region that was earlier and a member of WILPF Japan. considered far enough from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Costs, risks, and myths of nuclear power 6 plant. Agricultural soils contaminated with cesium peace activists like myself, have not been keen enough have already been sold throughout Japan. With the about nuclear “safety” when it comes to nuclear energy. rice harvest season approaching, everyone is anxious It is a hard fact to acknowledge, but we now live in to know whether our staple food will be safe. Farmers, a radiation-contaminated country. It is such a heavy fishermen, and dairy farmers in Fukushima and adja- truth that the nuclear power plants of our country have cent areas are struggling because their products may emitted and are still releasing radiation into the envi- not be safe, or may not be sold as consumers are deeply ronment. It continues to pose risks to those living now dubious about the food safety and fearful of exposure and generations to come. to radiation, contrary to the government’s repeated Yet, the country now seems strangely calm. If you comment that the low-level radiation, even when de- were not directly affected by the earthquake or tsuna- tected, will not have immediate danger to our health. mi, you may be leading a “normal” life. Many people But who can ensure long-term safety? may be in denial about the nuclear crisis, because the It is such a deep irony that Japan is now suffering calamity we face is too enormous to think about head from this radiation. Japan was twice bombed with on, to acknowledge. Thinking squarely about it may atomic bombs in the Asia-Pacific War at Hiroshima only make you numb. It is more tempting not to worry and Nagasaki in 1945. In 1954, the Fifth Lucky Dragon for the moment. But we all know something has deeply fishing boat was exposed to the fallout from the hydro- changed since 11 March 2011. gen bomb testing in the Bikini Atoll. We have learned What saddened and raged me most is that not all much, though maybe not enough, about the danger these events were unavoidable.
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