The year 2012 has opened with news that Fukushima's radioactive cloud may already have killed some 14,000 Americans, according to a major study just published in the International Journal of Health Services.
Germany and Japan, the world's third and fourth largest economies, along with numerous others countries, have definitively turned away from the "Peaceful Atom."
But it hasn't yet been buried. That's up to us. And 2012 is the year to do it.
We are already very close. The mythical "Nuclear Renaissance" has been gutted by Fukushima, low gas prices and the escalating Solartopian revolution in green energy. Solar panels, wind turbines, sustainable bio-fuels, geo-thermal, ocean thermal, increased efficiency and much more have simply priced atomic energy out of the market.
There is virtually no private money to build new reactors -- except where there are huge government subsidies and guarantees. In 2012 we must make those all go away.
Likewise, there are increasingly powerful grassroots movements focused on shutting reactors that still operate. Germany has shut 7, and the rest will be gone by 2022, if not earlier. In Japan, just 11 of more than 50 reactors now operate. Because local governments can prevent nukes from re-opening once they go down for refueling, Japan could emerge from 2012 without a single nuke on line.
The biggest US battle is at Vermont Yankee. March 21 is D-Day for forcing a nuclear corporation to honor a solemn contract it signed with a sovereign state, agreeing to shut down if the state doesn't approve continued operations. The legislature wants the reactor shut, which Entergy now refuses to do.
But with some 430 reactors still operating worldwide, and with several score ostensibly on order, here are some of 2012's keys to finally ridding the planet of this radioactive curse:
X The switch to green power has become definitive and is clearly unstoppable. Last year renewables generated more US electricity than nukes. Far more private capital is now being invested in renewables than in nuclear or fossil fuels. General Electric says its photovoltaic solar cells will generate electricity cheaper than coal within five years. Well-funded opponents are making it more difficult to spread green technologies, but they can be beaten.
X The breakdowns in the solar business are far fewer and further between than in the fossil/nuke world. The lead in this technology has shifted to Asia. The much hyped Solyndra failure came not from technological issues, but because the Chinese are underselling its American competitors -- and its own costs -- by 30-40%. Returning at least some of the business to the US is essential to our economic survival.
X A dollar invested in increased efficiency -- powered by accelerating breakthroughs such as LED lighting -- has long since produced more jobs and saved more energy than one invested in nuclear power.
X In-depth studies from the Union of Concerned Scientists, Rocky Mountain Institute, and a host of others make it clear that investments in solar and wind energy yield better returns than nuclear.
X It takes at very least and optimistic five years to bring a nuclear plant on line assuming all permits are in order, but large-scale wind and solar facilities regularly come on line in half that or less.
X The decisions by Japan and Germany to abandon nuclear power have come from countries long at the core of the industry. Japan manufactures many key reactor components, and maintains ownership stakes in General Electric and Westinghouse, which have designed and/or built most of the world's commercial reactors. Germany's corporate giant Siemens, an industry mainstay, has abandoned the technology to focus on renewables. As other major countries and corporations follow suit, the nuke industry will waste away.
X Those who "support nuclear power" cannot guarantee the reactors they want built will be properly regulated or monitored. The world at large may not hear about the next Fukushimas until long after the radioactive fallout spreads around the planet. Given the dismal state of regulation even in "advanced" countries like Japan and the US, will those who support the "Renaissance" be there to monitor the Korean nukes sold to the United Arab Emirates et. al.?
X The US still has some $10 billion in designated loan guarantees for new reactors. Two reactors are technically under construction in South Carolina, and two more at Georgia's Vogtle. Despite $8.33 billion in loan guarantees, Georgia's rates are already soaring. Attempts to get Congress to kick in more money have been blocked by the grassroots No Nukes movement.
X Local resistance to reactor projects has raged wherever reactors operate or are proposed, and has been extremely effective. Richard Nixon promised 1000 US reactors by the year 2000, but the operable number was 104. Those nearly 900 reactors that went missing were mostly stopped by local grassroots movements. Every proposed or operating reactor not killed financially can be ultimately stopped by local opposition movements geared toward a long, hard struggle against "impossible" odds that ultimately prove beatable.
X As it has been from the start, nuclear power is a ward of the state. Nowhere on Earth are the builders held fully responsible for their mess. The Japanese government has just coughed up a tip-of-the-iceberg $13 billion bailout for Fukushima's owner, the Tokyo Electric Power Company. Hundreds of billions are yet to come. Either the company goes bankrupt, or the government takes it over beforehand. Either way, the public pays financially, and with its health and that of its children. So it will be everywhere nukes are built, including the US, where the 1957 Price-Anderson Act still limits owner liability in the wake of a catastrophe.
X Cost estimates for new reactors have already soared 200-300% and more over original prices just a few years ago, and will continue go ever higher. By contrast, renewable technology prices continue their rapid, steep decline.
X France's nuclear industry has all but given up on the US market. A reactor under construction in Finland is years behind schedule and billions of Euros over budget, as is another at Flamanville, in France itself. French public opinion has turned strongly toward renewables.
X US war hawks now want an attack on Iran for allegedly using commercial technology to build a Bomb. But it's instructive to remember that the west once tried to sell 36 reactors to the Shah, who was overthrown by religious fundamentalists in 1979, leading to the current crisis. Does the "Renaissance" blueprint mean pushing reactors everywhere, then launching preemptive wars following the inevitable regime changes?
X After more than 50 years, the radioactive waste problem has been nowhere solved. Nevada's Yucca Mountain is not revivable, and there are no usable high-level storage sites anywhere else on the planet.
X Nuclear power makes global warming worse. Greenhouse gases pour out of the mining, milling, enrichment and waste management process. Massive quantities of direct heat threaten our rivers, lakes and oceans. Thus more and more reactors must shut during hot summer months, when they are supposedly fighting global warming.
X The calculations on how much climate changing heat and steam have spewed into the atmosphere during the explosions at Chernobyl and Fukushima remain to be done. Likewise the heat impacts of the liquid emissions into the ocean at Fukushima remain unknown.
X By wasting huge amounts of social capital, nuclear construction slows the conversion to renewables, which at the real core of defeating global warming.
X Fukushima is not over. Three melted cores remain problematic, and the entire complex is vulnerable to aftershocks which could bring spent fuel pools crashing to the ground and cause other disasters impossible to foresee.
X Nuclear power is killing people in ever-greater numbers. The industry continues to mount its usual personal assaults on those who prove that. But the killing power of radiation has been known since "mountain sickness" -- lung cancer -- began surfacing among Czech uranium miners in the 1500s. The continuum is unbroken through the introduction of x-rays, the work of the Curies, radium watch dial painting, definitive links to childhood leukemia, and more. The Hiroshima-based "science" used to establish a "safe" dose of radiation has been thoroughly debunked. The medical consensus that there is no such thing is quite firm.
X The nuclear industry never accepted the burden proving this technology to be safe before being deployed amidst a civilian population. For a half-century reactor backers have done a superb job of simply refusing to maintain or study reliable epidemiological data bases around commercial reactors (as well as weapons production facilities). But as early as 1970 the chief medical officer of the Atomic Energy Commission, Dr. John Gofman, branded commercial atomic power as a form of "premeditated mass murder."
X The largest study so far of the health impacts of Chernobyl, conducted by three Russian scientists, indicates upwards of a million casualties over the past quarter-century. That first study of the US health impacts from Fukushima, indicates that many thousands more deaths are likely to be suffered in the US above what's already apparent.
Does all this add up to the end of nuke power?
Worldwide, the industry is crumbling. The collapse of its private investment base, and the shutdowns in Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Mexico, Israel and elsewhere are rapidly shrinking the technology's credible reach.
In the US, we can cut off all subsidies for new reactors. Fierce no nukes campaigns in the UK, India and even China, as massive demonstrations there are starting to erupt. None of these fights will be easy, but all are winnable, especially as the full impacts of Fukushima become known, and as the Solartopian green power revolution renders the nuclear option increasingly uneconomic.
The movement to shut the old reactors is hitting critical mass. The Vermont Yankee case will go to the US Supreme Court, which must decide if corporations are above even the contracts they sign with the public. Once the first of these are forced shut, the dam will break and the American fleet of 104 licensed reactors will rapidly shrink, along with others around the world.
Some two dozen Fukushima clones now operate in the US. They are old, rickety, cracked and dangerous. Other designs, like Ohio's Davis-Besse, with a cracked containment and an infamous hole eaten through its head, aren't faring much better. Nebraska's Cooper has been flooded. Indian Point, New York, is also under attack from the state
Far more money is being invested in renewables worldwide than in nukes or even fossil fuels. Green energy will soon constitute the world's largest industry, financially and in terms of employment. The conversion to a post-fossil/nuclear Solartopian economy based entirely on renewables and efficiency will mark the most important industrial transition in human history.
Fukushima has taught us that as long as reactors operate, the apocalyptic clock is ticking.
With that in mind, and with the flow of green money turning into a financial tsunami, we can make 2012 the year nuke power finally dies.
It will require a serious push from the grassroots.
But we are ready to win a green-powered earth.
This is a rare opportunity, so please do it today.
The nuclear industry has captured the regulatory agencies, so they have not been effective in protecting us. A Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Inspector said at a recent NRC hearing on San Onofre "it's up to the people to shut down these plants". In California, we have the initiative process to do that. However, it only work if the citizens of California take immediate action to help save California from becoming Fukushima USA.
Did you know San Onofre has the worst safety record of all nuclear plants in the entire USA? See charts on safety allegations (complaints) reported to the NRC as well as other information on serious safety, environmental and financial issues at http://sanonofresafety.org/
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9OTSE480&show_article=1
Excuse me?!? How can he say that!?!?
Deaths and illnesses are showing up right now, many more will come.
He concludes:
"On nuclear power plants, he said, "I am convinced that the future world will definitely use nuclear energy."
Flashback:
- Studies Prove: Fukushima Safety Level NOT SAFE! (Video)
http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2012/01/07/2011/12/12/studies-prove-fukushima-safety-level-not-safe-video/
- Prof. Yury Bandazhevsky: Over 50 Bq/Kg In Humans Leads To Irreversible Lesions In Vital Organs – CRIMINAL WHO And IAEA EXPOSED (Video)
http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2012/01/07/2011/12/10/prof-yury-bandazhevsky-over-50-bqkg-in-humans-leads-to-irreversible-lesions-in-vital-organs-criminal-who-and-iaea-exposed-video/
- Japanese TV Program In 1993: What Happened to Chernobyl Children 7 Years after the Accident? ‘Truly Terrible Things Emerged Several Years After The Accident’ – THE CRIMINAL IAEA EXPOSED
http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2012/01/07/2011/12/10/2011/11/30/japanese-tv-program-in-1993-what-happened-to-chernobyl-children-7-years-after-the-accident-truly-terrible-things-emerged-several-years-after-the-accident-criminal-iaea-exposed/
More from Dr. Dörte Siedentopf:
- Silent Death – Horror Scenario Awaits Japan (The Low-Level Radiation Myth Exposed):
http://www.infiniteunknown.net/2012/01/07/2011/12/10/2011/11/07/silent-death-horror-scenario-awaits-japan-the-low-level-radiation-myth-exposed/
http://enenews.com/report-huge-mysterious-spike-cesium-fallout-after-new-years-quake-chart
About the chart, EX-SKF says:
This person tweeted the pic with three overlapping charts comparing (from the top): (1) amount of snow on the ground and amount of rain, (2) amount of cesium fallout, and (3) wind speed (average speed in black, maximum speed in blue, and maximum instantaneous speed in red), from December 1, 2011 to January 6, 2012
snip
[...] Only the people on the net paid attention to the data and it was not reported by the MSM. The Ministry of Education and Science issued the result of the fallout measurement [...]
The huge spike looks a few sigmas away from the norm, even with the wind speed picking up on January 2, 2012.
On Twitter, people in Tokyo were reporting strange white powder floating in the air several days ago, and people in Ibaraki and Chiba Prefectures were reporting elevated air radiation levels. [...]
I think you are afraid to say what the numbers really are for fear that those of us with radiation protection training and skill sets will see through the charade
Dr. Yamashita Shunichi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shunichi_Yamashita [...] has been assigned to head the official study of radiation health effects in the Fukushima population. Yamashita was sent by the Japanese government from Nagasaki University, where he was part of the RERF [Radiation Effects Research Foundation] studies, revered for their long experience with the A-Bomb survivors. Mandated with addressing the concerns of the citizens and correcting their misconceptions, Yamashita rallies the population with stirring words: “The name Fukushima will be widely known throughout the world…This is great! Fukushima has beaten Hiroshima and Nagasaki. From now on, Fukushima will become the world number 1 name. A crisis is an opportunity. This is the biggest opportunity. Hey, Fukushima, you’ve become famous without any efforts.”
http://enenews.com/govt-health-adviser-great-fukushima-beaten-hiroshima-nagasaki-hey-youve-become-famous-efforts
N☢T so great news for Northern Japan!
http://www.truth-out.org/science-skew-nuclear-power-industry-after-chernobyl-and-fukushima/1325956958
Inserting arguments like this weakens the case.
“We aggressively monitored for the presence of environmental radioactivity in Houston following the Fukushima event and worked closely with local public health authorities in the event we detected any threat to public health. We never detected any elevated radiation levels. I don’t see any evidence to supports the assertion made by this report that the additional 484 deaths in Houston in 2011 could in any way be related to radioactivity from Fukushima - we never detected any.”
"Moreover the study bases its conclusion on the comparison of data from deaths in the U.S. in 2010 and 2011. Using this method you really can’t determine the specific cause of any increase in deaths over the two years. Perhaps the most important question is: what did the 148,395 U.S. citizens die of in 2010, the year before the Japanese earthquake? Most likely the overwhelming causes were heart disease, cancer, and stroke. I believe this is likely the case in 2011 as well. I also believe our finite public health resources are better spent on the issues we know are causing people to die rather than being diverted to explore hypothetical projections"
On the contrary, any link between the deaths and the radiation released by the reactors is "very, very unlikely" simply because the levels are low, according to Richard Morin, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.
Morin told MedPage Today that such an acute effect would be unlikely, unless radiation levels were four or five orders of magnitude higher than those reported by Mangano and Sherman, and the whole body of the victim was exposed.
Typically, he said, the effect of low-level ionizing radiation doesn't appear until years after the exposure.
Morin, who is chair of the American College of Radiology's safety committee, said an earlier public report by the authors on the same issue -- preceding the journal article -- "has not been taken seriously by the scientific community."
He added it's important to remember that "association doesn't imply causation.
What is the rush to deny that Cancer takes a while to show up
and be acknowledged by the Nuclear Industry!
YEHAW!!
As long as you keep posting your fringe beliefs based on junk science, I will continue to expose your rants with sound scientific evidence. You may suffer from the irrational fear of radiation but there's no reason for anybody else to buy into your fantasy.
BTW, why do you think Harvey never responds to any of the critiques of his articles here in the comments section of HP? What's he afraid of? Other HP bloggers defend their claims by responding to comments. Either he doesn't really believe what he writes or he knows his wild claims are indefensible.
Did you ever think that Harvey's just using you to get more donations towards his anti-nuke movement salary? What are you going to do in about 10 years when you find out that the whole anti-nuke movement is a fraud?
LNT is the law of the land.
It happened, it's your job to disprove it., and you haven't.
flagged.
http://dwqovw6qi0vie.cloudfront.net/article-imgs/en/2012/01/07/AJ201201070039/AJ201201070040M.jpg
Who wants to live in a "slightly" radioactively polluted City?
Pollution is a level. Cite the level
Download this book on how the media is helping cover up the shenanigans by the nuclear power industry and the U.S. government.
http://www.nationofchange.org/blogs/karl-grossman/my-book-cover-what-you-are-not-supposed-know-about-nuclear-power-1302001920
Too much of a headache
Subheading: The doctor Dörte Siedentopf organized recreation for 20 years stays for Chernobyl children. She is bewildered about how to deal with Fukushima.
[...]
“The worst thing is that the organizers have learned nothing from Chernobyl. I’m speechless over the handling of the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, which is still larger than that of Chernobyl. Furthermore, the government’s evacuation zone does not increase accordingly, and women and children has not brought immediately to the south of the country in safety, one can only feel helpless rage. Instead, the population systematically lied to, they will not or are misinformed about the real dangers. This is completely irresponsible. What’s coming on now because the Japanese to diseases and problems, this is impossible. And the company policy and nuclear industry really buying into everything! Worldwide!
http://enenews.com/german-physician-fukushima-larger-than-chernobyl-japan-people-deceived-can-feel-only-helpless-rage
1 year after Fukushima
http://lenumerozero.lautre.net/article2329.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Human chain to exit the nuclear
February 26 to March 11 St Etienne and Lyon to Avignon
For a year Fukushima, March 11, 2012 the region most of europe nuclearized (Rhone-Alpes, crowing!) Will host a pacifist and anti-nuclear movement unprecedented citizen: a giant human chain from Avignon to Lyon to give a clear message to government: nuclear, that's enough!
A human chain will also be held Sunday, Feb. 26 at St. Etienne
On March 11, 2012, responding to all out nuclear power! On March 11, 2011 started the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which continues today to infect Japan.
A year later to the day, responding to denounce the risk of nuclear disaster in France and say all together "out nuclear power, it is possible! "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CwyY3O_5dEo#!
Here’s another video from January 6 by the same uploader, showing a large amount of ambulance and other emergency vehicle activity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m_CvgH_KbIE
http://tinyurl.com/7dko4aa
1. The Fukushima Nuclear disaster is much worse than you are being told.
2. Multiple nuclear reactors have melted down, and multiple fuel pools have been vaporized into the atmosphere.
3. The Fukushima melted down reactor cores are still sending huge amounts of radiation into the atmosphere
even after 10 months. It hasn't stopped!
4. Parts of Japan, Alaska, Western and central USA, plus parts of Eastern Russia have been badly contaminated
with radioactive fallout and are still being contaminated by radioactive fallout from Fukushima. Large parts of
the Northern pacific ocean has also been highly contaminated. (See fallout map, it is much worse now as this is
an old map from June 2011!)
5. Radiation bio-accumulates particularly in meat, dairy and seafood, grown and harvested in radiation
contaminated areas. Ingested radiation from contaminated food radiates body cells with high doses of
radiation for long periods of time.
What does this mean for your family's health, and well being?
You must now make much more careful choices concerning where the food you purchases comes from. I
suggest that you only consume food from non contaminated areas at present. This could change with time so
keep up to date, and informed on the subject.
... Like the stuff spread all over Northern Japan?
http://www.activistpost.com/2012/01/plutonium-from-fukushima-has-now.html
Lovely...just lovely.
Shut them all down!
But no plutonium escaped, so it's neither here nor there.
A dispersion model is meaningless if there's nothing to disperse.
They didn't say they tested for it, they just said ND.
Radnet is lying through their teeth since the levels detected were 2600% over baseline. Look through the docs, the baseline is clearly stated, it comes from EPA.gov/radnet/docs/erd/erd104.pdf
And shows the baseline U238 to be 5 Atto-Curie
The actual measure amount was 190 Atto-Curie
All the backup information is here, there is no other explanation.
Did you see the video of 3 blowing up?
Are you just a paid troll mean to could all issues?
Look at the facts. But apparently you have no interest in that.
http://nukepimp.blogspot.com/2012/01/uranium-in-air.html