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THE WITNESS
by Justin McKeating – April 26, 2013
April 26th marks the 27th anniversary of the devastating accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
The radiation released into the atmosphere by the exploding nuclear reactor found its way across Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and large parts of Europe. Continue reading
Greenpeace activists join tens of thousands of people marching on the Japanese parliament on March 10, 2013 in remembrance of the 2011 triple disaster in Fukushima , and to demand the Japanese government to abandon its dangerous nuclear program.
As we mark the second memorial of the March 11, 2011 triple disaster, we see tragedy, but also hope in Japan.
While people mourn for the mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents and children that were lost in the earthquake and tsunami, many of those that fled the natural disaster have been able to return home and rebuild their lives and communities as best they can. Continue reading
Two years have passed since the Fukushima nuclear disaster began but little has changed for the people still struggling with the fallout from the triple meltdown that forced 160,000 from their homes.
The vast majority of those that have lost their homes remain stuck in limbo without proper compensation for their losses from the plant operator, TEPCO, or support to move on with their lives. Families are separated, communities are disintegrating and the level of mistrust in the government’s promises is growing.
Hear below from Fukushima victims and their reality two years later.
Greenpeace activists plant cherry trees in front the Duke Energy Harris Nuclear Plant near New Hill, N.C.
Monday will mark the two-year anniversary of the day that the disastrous Japanese earthquake and tsunami were exacerbated by the manmade disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Two years after the meltdowns and explosions at the nuclear plant, tens of thousands of people in Japan still cannot safely return to their homes as a result of the disaster.
After Fukushima, many companies and governments finally accepted what they should have known all along: nuclear power is a bad bet. Aside from being far more expensive than safe, clean forms of energy like wind and solar power, nuclear plants simply present too great a safety risk to allow their continued construction. Continue reading
Activists from Greenpeace Turkey protest in front of the Hagia Sofia.
At 2:46pm, 11 March 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami hit north east Japan, triggering three meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Since then, an unthinkable amount of radioactive contamination has been discharged to our sea, our air, our land, and onto ourselves. It has changed the lives of millions of people, destroyed local farmlands and fisheries that were carefully protected for generations.
The most contaminated areas of Fukushima nuclear disaster remain inhabitable, and will for decades. This leaves the 160,000 ordered to evacuate stuck in limbo, unable to go home, and unable to build new lives elsewhere because they lack proper compensation and support. Continue reading
Crystal River Plant in Tampa
Duke Energy has made some big moves these past few days, including shutting down two coal-fired power plants in North Carolina. Continue reading
Vermont residents and activists join a Greenpeace rally outside the Statehouse, following a vote by Vermont Senate to retire the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in 2012.
In February 2010 Greenpeace and our Vermont colleagues convinced the Vermont legislature to reject the license from the state’s lone nuclear plant, Vermont Yankee and shut the plant down in 2012. The Vermont Senate voted 26 to 4 that operating Vermont Yankee was not in the best interest of Vermonters.
Entergy, the out-of-state corporate owners of Vermont Yankee, challenged this ruling in court. Last January U.S. District Court Judge Murtha sided with Entergy and said that Vermont was improperly motivated by safety.
The State of Vermont appealed that ruling and was in court in New York yesterday.
Below is an account of yesterday’s hearing from Richard Watts, University of Vermont professor and author of Public Meltdown: The Story of Vermont Yankee. Continue reading
From stopping “scientific whaling” in South Korea to protecting the Arctic from Shell’s oil rigs to shutting down dirty coal plants here in the United States, we’re celebrating a 2012 full of victories for our planet. But none of it would have been possible without the help of each of you who choose to support our work. Whether we’re pressuring a major company to clean up their supply chain or convincing the government to ban dirty energy, none of it would be possible without our dedicated supporters. It’s with the positive momentum of 2012 that we continue to campaign for our futures the next year and the next year and the next year. Continue reading
Salem Nuclear Generating Station, New Jersey
Several nuclear reactors in New Jersey and New York shutdown as Hurricane Sandy slams into East Coast.
The morning after Hurricane Sandy struck the eastern seaboard several nuclear reactors in New Jersey and New York are now shutdown and information on their status is sparse if available at all. Continue reading
On Tuesday, we told you about the 70 activists who poured onto two nuclear sites in Sweden in an effort to show how lax the security is at these plants.
We didn’t tell you that at least six of them hid overnight at two of the plants: four at Ringhals and two at Forsmark.
They evaded security all night, and were only discovered when Greenpeace Sweden phoned the media early this morning to reveal their presence at the plants. This is despite the fact the operator Vattenfall said yesterday that “security had worked exactly as intended”. Oh dear.
One of the overnighters was Greenpeace International energy campaigner Lauri Myllyvirta. Here’s what he wrote about the experience: Continue reading