No Nukes News: Remembering Fukushima

Wed Mar 10 11:54:44 EST 2021

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World
☢ Ex-PMs Kan and Koizumi urge Japan to quit nuclear power generation "Japan has so much natural sources of energy like solar power, hydropower and wind power. Why should we use something that's more expensive and less safe?"

☢ Fukushima 10 years on 3 min. video update by Linda Gunter of Beyond Nuclear. And view the photo essay by Greenpeace International.

☢ Lessons of Fukushima must not be forgotten Nuclear power’s contribution to Japan’s power generation fell from 25% in 2010 to 6% in 2018, while renewable energy grew from 9 to 17%.

☢ Fukushima 10 - Voices from Japan - This is not recovery This Nuclear Hotseat podcast features on-the-ground interviews with people working in or involved with Fukushima.

☢ Climate change and 'advanced nuclear' solutions By Dr. Gregory Jaczko, former Chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission writes that SMRs are more expensive than renewable competitors, take longer to deploy (they’re still on the drawing board), and proliferation concerns and waste management are still hurdles.

☢ The truth about nuclear power — neither clean nor green By Dr. Helen Caldicott. As radioactive elements inevitably escape and leak into the environment, they concentrate at each step of the food chain. Once deposited in human or animal organs, they irradiate a small volume of cells over many years. Leukemia takes 5-10 yrs to appear post contamination, solid cancers 15-80 yrs. Genetic abnormalities will take generations to manifest. Animals and plants are similarly affected.

☢ The Forgotten History of Small Nuclear Reactors Economics killed small nuclear power stations in the past—and probably will keep doing so.

☢ Big money, nuclear subsidies, and systemic corruption A chilling article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

☢ Embrittlement in Nuclear Power Plants “When exposed to radiation, metal becomes embrittled and eventually can crack like glass. The longer the radiation exposure, the worse the embrittlement becomes. If the reactor is embrittled and cracks, it’s ‘game over’ as all the radiation can spew out into the atmosphere.”

☢ Germany to compensate energy firms 2.4 B euros for nuclear exit Germany will pay top energy companies a total of 2.4 billion euros ($2.9 billion) in compensation for its decision to exit nuclear energy in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster. By the end of 2022, Germany will have achieved its goal of completely phasing out nuclear power.

☢ 3 Reasons Why Nuclear Energy Is Terrible Nuclear weapons proliferation. Nuclear waste and pollution. Accidents and disasters. 4 min. animation.

☢ The 7 reasons why nuclear energy is not the answer to solve climate change by Mark Z. Jacobson, Sanford University

Canada
☢ Saskatchewan First Nation erects blockade after company enters territory without consent A northern Saskatchewan First Nation blockaded a road and issued a cease-and-desist order against a Toronto uranium company.

☢ What would go into the Chalk River Mound?

☢ We Risk False Solutions and Delayed Action on Climate Change with Small Modular Nuclear Reactors SMR technology is not a safe bet. They still produce dangerous radioactive waste. Best case scenario, they come online 2030. And they’re not cost-competitive. 

Ontario
☢ Gas should be phased out for electricity generation in Ontario 'We have to get serious about moving to a renewable future now,' writes Jack Gibbons. More here.

☢ Andrea Horwath promises to phase-out Ontario’s gas-fired power plants by 2030 The Ontario NDP promise to phase-out ON’s gas-fired power plants by 2030. Furthermore, they promise to stop the longstanding gov’t practice of turning a blind eye to the problems of nuclear energy, saying “We won’t expand Ontario’s nuclear capacity unless cost and waste storage issues are resolved.”

☢ Opposing small modular reactors to protect the water Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Glen Hare is emphatic: Dangerous radioactive waste should not be transported on highways or through First Nation lands. “The First Nations have been saying for years—years— that we are totally against the nuclear industry.” 

Renewables and Conservation
☼ It's unavoidable: we must ban fossil fuels to save our planet. Here's how we do it Utility-scale solar and wind power is now officially the cheapest source of electricity, even without subsidies. The cost of battery storage has fallen by 90% over ten years and continues to decline. The lifetime cost of battery electric vehicles is already lower than that of internal combustion vehicles. Compared to gas furnaces, heat pumps frequently reduce the cost of heating.

☼ $565-Billion House Bill Aims to Cut U.S. Emissions 50% by 2030, Decarbonize Grid by 2035 "We need real solutions like solar and storage, not a dirty lifeline for gas, nukes, and biomass.” 

Take Action
☢ International Petition Against the Discharge of Contaminated Water from Fukushima into the Sea And here's another petition opposing the radioactive water dump into the sea.

☢ Tell Canada's Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland: Don't Subsidize New Nuclear Once again, the federal government is planning to waste taxpayers dollars on a new nuclear technology which is far more hype than substance with no working prototypes in Canada. Send Min. Freeland and your MP a letter here.

☢ Nuclear waste should not be buried underground in Ontario – Petition The Nuclear Waste Management Organization is proposing a deep geological repository to abandon spent nuclear fuel bundles underground in South Bruce, Ontario. Support the community in their request for a referendum.

☢ Create Jobs - Decommission the Pickering Nuclear Station immediately after shutdown in 2024 This would provide a jobs transition for the workers and would reclaim the Pickering waterfront. Send a message to Ontario’s Finance Minister and your MPP here. 

☢ Say no to new nuclear in the GTA Tell our political leaders that you want Ontario to invest in wind and solar energy, not a new GTA nuclear reactor.

☢ Order your FREE leaflets here calling on the Ford Government to phase out gas power plants, immediately dismantle the Pickering nuclear station after shutdown in 2024, and calling on Chrystia Freeland to not fund new nuclear in the GTA. High school students can claim volunteer hours distributing leaflets to mailboxes in their neighbourhoods. 
Events
☢ Power Struggle Mar. 1 - 30. This film shows the story of Vermont citizen activists struggling to close their nuclear reactor, Vermont Yankee. They won! $12.

☢ The Impacts of Radiation on Females Thur. Mar. 11, 9 p.m. EST. In the atomic age, gender matters. Learn about Mary Olson's work showing greater harm to the female body from radiation than the male body, yet regulators are guided by the health impacts on men.

☢ Remembering Fukushima 10 Years Later Thur. Mar. 11, 8 p.m. EST. Film screening and panel discussion to explore the lasting impacts of the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the problems inherent in the nuclear power industry. The film begins streaming on March 1st and is available until March 11th. 
☢ Health Studies Near Fermi Nuclear Plant, Michigan Thur. Mar. 11, noon EST.  1. Release of a new report showing Monroe county cancer death rate increase since Fermi 2 nuclear plant startup. 2. Announcement of new effort to collect baby teeth near Fermi, to be laboratory tested for levels of radioactive Strontium-90. Meeting ID: 974 9358 3442 Passcode: FPC

☢ Protecting the Earth - from Fukushima to Fermi 2 Thur. Mar. 11, 4 - 6 p.m. EST. Join CRAFT and a host of renowned activists, educators, and artists who will come together to honor the people and the land of Fukushima, build energy to Shut Down Fermi 2, and collaborate on solutions for a brighter future!

☢ Rio de Janeiro International Uranium Film Festival Thur. Mar. 11. Free Online Screening and Debate.

☢ Port Hope: A Case Study in Radioactive Risk Wed. Mar. 17, 7:30 p.m. EST. Speakers will look at Port Hope, the legacy of radioactive wastes the community is burdened with, and community concerns, particularly in light or a recent proposal to relax environmental standards by changing the radioactive waste cleanup criteria.

☢ Ten Years after Fukushima: Commemoration and Lessons for the Future Wed. Mar. 17, 8:30 p.m. EST. Two online panel discussions on lessons (un)learned from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011. Co-hosted by The University of Tokyo and The University of BC. 

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