15th December 2005

Lystra Maisey and Simon Pizzey's report on 'Operation Christmas Child' where boxes packed with gifts, many from Gloucestershire, were taken to Belarus is a timely reminder of the dangers of nuclear power(15/12/05).

The Chernobyl catastrophe in 1986 was ironically the result of an experiment designed to improve safety systems. It went badly wrong with 600,000 people exposed to extremely high radiation doses (i). Figures are disputed about the number of deaths but most put it in thousands with 3 million children, including those visited by the Citizen reporters, still receiving medical treatment. Land and livestock remain seriously contaminated and even farms in Wales are still tested for radioactivity. The full effects of this catastrophe are yet to be researched.

As Buncefield oil depot shows, accidents can happen. Nuclear is expensive, dirty, unsafe and is not even the answer to climate change: nuclear produces 20% of our electricity, but only accounts for 5% of our overall energy. So unless massively expanded, nuclear would prevent around 3% increase in emissions through 2020 and this is dwarfed by projected increase in vehicle emissions in the same period.

Why on earth should we take the risk when less damaging energy solutions are available?

Philip Booth, Press Officer, Stroud District Green Party.

Notes:
(i) Don't Trust the IAEA on Chornobyl: Kyiv Post, by Alexander B. Kuzma, December 15, 2005
http://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/oped/23626/