Al venticinquesimo anniversario del disastro nucleare di Chernobyl in Ucraina - e a più di due mesi dal terremoto e lo tsunami che ha devastato il Giappone - noi sottoscritti Nobel per la Pace chiediamo di investire in un futuro più sicuro e più pacifico impegnandosi sulle fonti di energia rinnovabile. E' tempo di riconoscere che il nucleare non è una fonte pulita, sicura e conveniente di energia.
Siamo profondamente turbati che la vita delle persone in Giappone venga messa in pericolo da radiazioni nucleari nell'aria, nell'acqua e nel cibo a causa del guasto nell'impianto di Fukushima. Siamo fermamente convinti che se il mondo uscisse gradualmente dall'uso corrente di energia nucleare, le future generazioni di persone in tutto il mondo - e il popolo giapponese che ha già sofferto troppo - vivranno in una maggiore pace e sicurezza.
"Venticinque anni dopo Chernobyl, alcune persone affermano che le cose stanno migliorando. Non sono d'accordo", dice Mykola Isaiev, un liquidatore di Chernobyl (una persona che ha contribuito a ripulire il sito). "I nostri figli sono malati dal mangiare cibo contaminato e la nostra economia è distrutta". Isaiev dice che può riguardare i liquidatori ora al lavoro in Giappone. Come lui, probabilmente non hanno messo in discussione tanto la sicurezza delle centrali nucleari. Consideriamo le parole di un negoziante di Kesennuma, una delle città che ha subito la forza dello tsunami lungo la costa nord-orientale: "Quella cosa delle radiazioni è estremamente spaventosa. E' più di uno tsunami. Uno tsunami si può vedere, ma questa non lo è..".
La triste realtà è che la crisi da radiazioni nucleari in Giappone può accadere di nuovo in altri paesi, come già a Chernobyl nell'ex Ucraina SSR (1986), Three Mile Island negli Stati Uniti (1979) e Windscale / Sellafield nel Regno Unito Regno (1957). Gli incidenti nucleari e possono avvenire a causa di calamità naturali - come i terremoti e gli tsunami - e anche da errori umani e di negligenza. Persone di tutto il mondo possono anche temere la possibilità di attacchi terroristici contro le centrali. Ma la radioattività non è la sola preoccupazione in un incidente nucleare. Ogni anello della catena del combustibile nucleare rilascia radiazioni, a partire dalla perforazione per l'uranio, si continua poi per le generazioni perché le scorie radioattive del plutonio rimarranno tossiche per migliaia di anni. Nonostante anni di ricerca, i paesi con programmi di energia nucleare, come gli Stati Uniti non sono riusciti a risolvere la sfida di trovare un luogo sicuro anche per il combustibile "esaurito" nucleare. Nel frattempo, ogni giorno di più, il combustibile esaurito aumenta.
Dobbiamo anche affrontare la cruda verità economica dell'energia nucleare. L'energia nucleare non è in concorrenza sul libero mercato contro le altre fonti energetiche, perché non può. L'energia nucleare è un'opzione energetica esorbitante che viene generalmente pagata dal contribuente. L'industria nucleare ha ricevuto sovvenzioni pubbliche estese - il denaro dei contribuenti - per la sottoscrizione di costruzione, limitazioni di responsabilità e di assicurazione per ripulire e costi sanitari. Siamo in grado di investire in maniera più responsabile il denaro pubblico in nuove fonti di energia.
Ci sono attualmente oltre 400 centrali nucleari nel mondo - molte in luoghi ad alto rischio di calamità naturali o sconvolgimenti politici. Questi impianti forniscono meno del 7% della fornitura totale di energia del mondo. Come leader mondiali, è possibile che lavoriate insieme per sostituire questa piccola quantità di energia da altre fonti direttamente accessibili, molto sicure e convenienti di energia per andare verso un futuro senza emissioni di carbonio e senza nucleare.
Non possiamo fermare le catastrofi naturali come quelle che si appena verificata in Giappone, ma insieme possiamo fare scelte migliori sulle nostre fonti energetiche.
Siamo in grado di eliminare gradualmente i combustibili fossili e l'energia nucleare e investire in una rivoluzione energetica pulita. E' già in corso. A livello globale negli ultimi cinque anni vi è stato più energia nuova proveniente da energia eolica e solare che da centrali nucleari. Il reddito globale da solare, eolico e altre fonti di energia rinnovabili è salito del 35% nel 2010. Investire in queste fonti di energia rinnovabili crea anche posti di lavoro.
Le fonti energetiche rinnovabili sono una delle chiavi più potenti per un futuro di pace. Ecco perché così tante persone in tutto il mondo - soprattutto giovani - non sono in attesa che i governi facciano il cambiamento, ma stanno già prendendo provvedimenti in tal senso da soli.
Un impegno per un basso tenore di carbonio e il futuro senza nucleare consentiranno ai paesi di collaborare con il movimento contribuendo a far crescere l'influenza del cittadino sempre di più a livello mondiale per respingere la proliferazione nucleare e sostenere le fonti di energia rinnovabili. Vi chiediamo di unirsi a loro e creare una potente eredità per proteggere e sostenere non solo le generazioni future, ma anche il nostro stesso pianeta.
Sincerely,
Betty Williams, Ireland (1976)
Mairead Maguire, Ireland (1976)
Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Guatemala (1992)
Jody Williams, USA (1997)
Shirin Ebadi, Iran (2003)
Wangari Maathai, Kenya (2004)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South Africa (1984)
Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Argentina (1980)
President Jose Ramos Horta, East Timor (1996)
Il Disastro di Chernobyl - Storia tratto da "Gaia - Il Pianeta che vive" di Mario Tozzi, 2005.
Lettera Aperta- Testo Originale
April 26, 2011
To: World Leaders
From: Nobel Peace Laureates
Choose Renewable Energy Over Nuclear Power: Nobel Peace Laureates to World Leaders
On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine--and more than two months after the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan--we the undersigned Nobel Peace Laureates ask you to invest in a safer and more peaceful future by committing to renewable energy sources. It is time to recognize that nuclear power is not a clean, safe or affordable source of energy.
We are deeply disturbed that the lives of people in Japan are being endangered by nuclear radiation in the air, in the water and in the food as a result of the breakdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. We firmly believe that if the world phases out its current use of nuclear power, future generations of people everywhere--and the Japanese people who have already suffered too much--will live in greater peace and security.
"Twenty-five years after Chernobyl, some people claim things are getting better. I disagree," says Mykola Isaiev, a Chernobyl liquidator (a person who helped clean up the site). "Our children are sick from eating contaminated food and our economy is destroyed." Isaiev says he can relate to the liquidators now working in Japan. Like him, they probably did not question much the safety of nuclear power.
Consider the words of a shopkeeper in Kesennuma, one of the towns that bore the full force of the tsunami along the northeast coast: "That radiation thing is extremely scary. It is beyond a tsunami. A tsunami you can see. But this you cannot see."
The sad reality is that the nuclear radiation crisis in Japan can happen again in other countries, as it already has in Chernobyl in the former Ukraine SSR (1986), Three Mile Island in the United States (1979) and Windscale/Sellafield in the United Kingdom (1957). Nuclear accidents can and do result from natural disasters--such as earthquakes and tsunamis--and also from human error and negligence. People around the globe also fear the possibility of terrorist attacks on nuclear power plants.
But radiation is not just a concern in a nuclear accident. Each link in the nuclear fuel chain releases radiation, starting with drilling for uranium; it then continues for generations because nuclear waste includes plutonium that will remain toxic for thousands of years. Despite years of research, countries with nuclear energy programs such as the United States have failed to solve the challenge of finding safe and secure storage for "spent" nuclear fuel. Meanwhile, every day more spent fuel is being generated.
Nuclear power advocates must confront the fact that nuclear power programs provide the ingredients to build nuclear weapons. Indeed, this is the underlying concern with regards to Iran's nuclear program. While the nuclear industry prefers to ignore this huge threat in pursuing nuclear energy, it does not go away simply because it is downplayed or ignored.
We must also face the harsh economic truth of nuclear energy. Nuclear power does not compete on the open market against other energy sources, because it cannot. Nuclear power is an exorbitantly expensive energy option that is generally paid for by the taxpayer. The nuclear industry has received extensive government subsidies--taxpayer money--for underwriting of construction, liability caps and insurance for clean up and health costs. We can more responsibly invest this public money in new sources of energy.
There are presently over 400 nuclear power plants in the world--many, in places at high risk for natural disaster or political upheaval. These plants provide less than 7% of the world's total energy supply. As world leaders, you can work together to replace this small amount of energy from other readily available, very safe and affordable sources of energy to move us towards a carbon-free and nuclear-free future.
We can't stop natural disasters such as those that just occurred in Japan, but together we can make better choices about our energy sources.
We can phase out fossil fuels and nuclear power and invest in a clean energy revolution. It's already underway. Globally in the last five years there has been more new energy coming from wind and solar power than from nuclear power plants. Global revenue from solar, wind and other renewable energy sources surged 35% in 2010. Investing in these renewable energy sources will also create jobs.
Renewable energy sources are one of the powerful keys to a peaceful future. That's why so many people around the world--especially young people--are not waiting for governments to make the switch, but are already taking steps in that direction on their own.
Committing to a low-carbon, nuclear-free future will enable countries to partner with and expand the growing and increasingly influential global citizen's movement that rejects nuclear proliferation and supports renewable sources of energy. We ask you to join them and create a powerful legacy that will protect and sustain not only future generations but also our planet itself.
Sincerely,
Betty Williams, Ireland (1976)
Mairead Maguire, Ireland (1976)
Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Guatemala (1992)
Jody Williams, USA (1997)
Shirin Ebadi, Iran (2003)
Wangari Maathai, Kenya (2004)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South Africa (1984)
Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Argentina (1980)
President Jose Ramos Horta, East Timor (1996)
To: World Leaders
From: Nobel Peace Laureates
Choose Renewable Energy Over Nuclear Power: Nobel Peace Laureates to World Leaders
On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine--and more than two months after the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan--we the undersigned Nobel Peace Laureates ask you to invest in a safer and more peaceful future by committing to renewable energy sources. It is time to recognize that nuclear power is not a clean, safe or affordable source of energy.
We are deeply disturbed that the lives of people in Japan are being endangered by nuclear radiation in the air, in the water and in the food as a result of the breakdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant. We firmly believe that if the world phases out its current use of nuclear power, future generations of people everywhere--and the Japanese people who have already suffered too much--will live in greater peace and security.
"Twenty-five years after Chernobyl, some people claim things are getting better. I disagree," says Mykola Isaiev, a Chernobyl liquidator (a person who helped clean up the site). "Our children are sick from eating contaminated food and our economy is destroyed." Isaiev says he can relate to the liquidators now working in Japan. Like him, they probably did not question much the safety of nuclear power.
Consider the words of a shopkeeper in Kesennuma, one of the towns that bore the full force of the tsunami along the northeast coast: "That radiation thing is extremely scary. It is beyond a tsunami. A tsunami you can see. But this you cannot see."
The sad reality is that the nuclear radiation crisis in Japan can happen again in other countries, as it already has in Chernobyl in the former Ukraine SSR (1986), Three Mile Island in the United States (1979) and Windscale/Sellafield in the United Kingdom (1957). Nuclear accidents can and do result from natural disasters--such as earthquakes and tsunamis--and also from human error and negligence. People around the globe also fear the possibility of terrorist attacks on nuclear power plants.
But radiation is not just a concern in a nuclear accident. Each link in the nuclear fuel chain releases radiation, starting with drilling for uranium; it then continues for generations because nuclear waste includes plutonium that will remain toxic for thousands of years. Despite years of research, countries with nuclear energy programs such as the United States have failed to solve the challenge of finding safe and secure storage for "spent" nuclear fuel. Meanwhile, every day more spent fuel is being generated.
Nuclear power advocates must confront the fact that nuclear power programs provide the ingredients to build nuclear weapons. Indeed, this is the underlying concern with regards to Iran's nuclear program. While the nuclear industry prefers to ignore this huge threat in pursuing nuclear energy, it does not go away simply because it is downplayed or ignored.
We must also face the harsh economic truth of nuclear energy. Nuclear power does not compete on the open market against other energy sources, because it cannot. Nuclear power is an exorbitantly expensive energy option that is generally paid for by the taxpayer. The nuclear industry has received extensive government subsidies--taxpayer money--for underwriting of construction, liability caps and insurance for clean up and health costs. We can more responsibly invest this public money in new sources of energy.
There are presently over 400 nuclear power plants in the world--many, in places at high risk for natural disaster or political upheaval. These plants provide less than 7% of the world's total energy supply. As world leaders, you can work together to replace this small amount of energy from other readily available, very safe and affordable sources of energy to move us towards a carbon-free and nuclear-free future.
We can't stop natural disasters such as those that just occurred in Japan, but together we can make better choices about our energy sources.
We can phase out fossil fuels and nuclear power and invest in a clean energy revolution. It's already underway. Globally in the last five years there has been more new energy coming from wind and solar power than from nuclear power plants. Global revenue from solar, wind and other renewable energy sources surged 35% in 2010. Investing in these renewable energy sources will also create jobs.
Renewable energy sources are one of the powerful keys to a peaceful future. That's why so many people around the world--especially young people--are not waiting for governments to make the switch, but are already taking steps in that direction on their own.
Committing to a low-carbon, nuclear-free future will enable countries to partner with and expand the growing and increasingly influential global citizen's movement that rejects nuclear proliferation and supports renewable sources of energy. We ask you to join them and create a powerful legacy that will protect and sustain not only future generations but also our planet itself.
Sincerely,
Betty Williams, Ireland (1976)
Mairead Maguire, Ireland (1976)
Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Guatemala (1992)
Jody Williams, USA (1997)
Shirin Ebadi, Iran (2003)
Wangari Maathai, Kenya (2004)
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, South Africa (1984)
Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Argentina (1980)
President Jose Ramos Horta, East Timor (1996)
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