26 April 2006 - International
— Today, on the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl
disaster we must reflect on the impact of the
day that changed the world's view of nuclear power.
Chernobyl was not simply an industrial accident.
It was a human tragedy on an unimaginable scale.
Our recent report about the true health impact
of the explosion and its aftermath show that the
estimates of the number of people who died or
who now have terminal or chronic illnesses as
a result of Chernobyl could be many-fold higher
than was originally thought.
Today, however, is not for statistics. This haunting
milestone in the history of nuclear power is a
time to remember the human suffering caused on
that fateful day. All over the world this month,
photo exhibitions have opened featuring portraits
of those living with the pernicious after-effects
of the radiation from Chernobyl - and the grinding
social deprivation following the disaster. The
bedridden children with cancers and degenerative
diseases who must be turned every fifteen minutes
in excruciating pain. The parents who themselves
suffer from chronic radiation-related diseases.
The old people who have no alternative but to
eat mushrooms and burn firewood harvested from
woodland so radioactive that soil samples from
them are treated as radioactive waste in Western
Europe. It is here where we should look - into
the eyes of these people - when we are told about
the so-called 'benefits' of nuclear power.
Chernobyl is not just a historical
event, from a moment in time twenty years ago.
It is still very much having a massive impact.
The number of people who will get sick and die
because of the radiation from Chernobyl is still
rising - and will do for many decades to come.
And that horrific legacy is still being discovered
as the extent of the medical impact of the disaster
continues to manifest itself in the range of illnesses
being seen in those affected.
The international community
has failed the victims of Chernobyl. Not only
by downplaying the extent of the human impact,
but also by abdicating their responsibility for
them and failing to collaborate to take them out
of the Chernobyl shadow and give them a better
life, what remains of it.
This anniversary comes at a
pivotal moment in the future of nuclear power
- as the current generation of nuclear plants
near the end of their life, we have the opportunity
to reassess the human price we are willing to
pay for generating electricity in this way. Nuclear
power is inherently highly dangerous and despite
claims of improvements in safety, scientists agree
that another catastrophe on the scale of Chernobyl
could still happen any time, anywhere. Nuclear
is also the most expensive energy source in the
world and actually generates only 2 percent of
the world's supply. Clean, renewable sources such
as wind, solar and hydroelectricity generate seven
times as much, globally - and that is growing.
We also need to remember that wherever there is
nuclear power, nuclear weapons are only few steps
away.
We must ensure that no more
Chernobyls ever take place again. The only way
we can do this is to ensure that nuclear power
has no future, whilst investing in renewable alternatives.
I believe that on the 20th anniversary of Chernobyl,
governments and international bodies such as the
IAEA must exercise their moral duty to this and
future generations by committing to a rapid and
permanent eradication of nuclear power.
Gerd Leipold
Executive Director
Greenpeace International
