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Kumi Naidoo

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An Appeal to Italians: 'Save Italy From Berlusconi's Nukes'

Posted: 06/10/11 09:57 AM ET

On June 12 -13, Italians have the opportunity to say "no!" to nuclear power in their country. Berlusconi's government has plans for four new reactors -- but the people have demanded a referendum on the issue of nuclear energy. Surveys show that a majority of Italians are against it; however, if less than 50% of the population participates, the referendum will be invalid regardless the outcome.

I am currently in Japan and have just visited the area around Fukushima where radiation levels are dangerously high. Please watch this short video to learn more about what life is like for Japanese people in the region today. This should never happen -- not in Ukraine, not in Japan and certainly not in la Bella Italia....


In the aftermath of Chernobyl in 1987, the Italian government wisely decided to abandon nuclear power. Nuclear energy is never safe -- keep it out of Italy. If you know someone who can vote in Italy please encourage them do so.

 

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On June 12 -13, Italians have the opportunity to say "no!" to nuclear power in their country. Berlusconi's government has plans for four new reactors -- but the people have demanded a referendum on th...
On June 12 -13, Italians have the opportunity to say "no!" to nuclear power in their country. Berlusconi's government has plans for four new reactors -- but the people have demanded a referendum on th...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
SLS11
Its all there, if we just open our eyes...
04:20 PM on 06/11/2011
Nuclear Debacle – Not Clean, Not Safe

Technologies that present immense health, safety and security risks should not be cushioned, but rather the exposure and risks need to be transparent with those taking the risks, bearing the subsequent costs.

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/03/nuclear-debacle-not-clean-not-safe
outnow
Ban the bomb
03:28 PM on 06/18/2011
You would think so.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
SLS11
Its all there, if we just open our eyes...
04:13 PM on 06/11/2011
The planet can not afford another Chernobyl, or another Fukushima.
Please say "no" to nuclear power.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
SLS11
Its all there, if we just open our eyes...
04:09 PM on 06/11/2011
Italy take heart! Germany has made the decision to abandon nuclear power, Switzerland has followed. You can do it, too.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
SLS11
Its all there, if we just open our eyes...
04:32 PM on 06/11/2011
May 31, 2011. Eight European Union countries (Austria, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta and Portugal) have created a new anti-nuclear bloc within the EU.

http://www.nirs.org/
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
aligatorhardt
10:00 AM on 06/11/2011
All around the world at least 3/4 of people do not want to suffer the risks of nuclear power. There is no good reason to force it on them.
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European1919
I am the Pigmâ’¶n
04:12 PM on 06/11/2011
And people would do well to act in unison in making it clear that ignoring their wishes will eventually lead to resistance. Serious and coordinated resistance.
06:14 AM on 06/11/2011
Vote no, Italy.

The cost of nuclear power is not worth it.

If there was ever a nuclear accident in Italy, parts of your beautiful country could become uninhabitable !

That would be a sin.

Nuclear energy is an old failed dangerous idea with far more negatives than positives.

Just look at the photos of the Japanese children being checked for radiation exposure! Would anyone want to see that of their children or grandchildren?

Vote no to nuclear power.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Michael Mann
Nuclear Educator
10:57 PM on 06/10/2011
Nuclear energy is still the safest way to produce clean, reliable electric baseload power. Don't let knee jerk reaction drive policy. Build a strong safety culture along with well designed nuclear plants and you will have reliable power for the next century.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
aligatorhardt
10:01 AM on 06/11/2011
Nuclear power is not safe. Lying about it does not make it so.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
alvdh1
02:34 PM on 06/11/2011
The only way to call nuclear power safe is to ignore Fukushima, Chernobyl, TMI, planned & unplanned releases at nukes, uranium mining, contamination at fuel processing, fuel enrichment, fuel fabrication, fuel reporcessing facilites, spent fuel pools, descommissioning and waste storage. And you claim to be a nuclear educator. Ignoring everything but the day to day operations of a nuclear power plant makes your comments very lame as usual.

It is not a question of if but when the next nuclear accident will occur around the globe. The latest projection from the World bank pegs the Fukushima all in disaster costs at $235 billion and the reactors are nowhere near stable. Chernobyl's all in disaster costs were $257 billion. As a result of Fukushima, nuclear costs are going up not down. Switzerland, Germany, Italy and China are rethinking there nuclear options as a result of the economic, enevironmental and health issues surrounding Fukushima. The cascade of nuke plant closings and planned closings has begun. The nails in the nuclear coffin are being driven in one by one. Your New Jersey facility is in line to be shut down next.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Michael Mann
Nuclear Educator
04:55 PM on 06/11/2011
The only way ro say nuclear power is not safe is to ignore forty years of operation in the USA without injuring a single citizen. Compare that to explosive natural gas, or dirty coal, heck more people have been injured falling off their roof installing solar panels. Nothing is 100% safe, but nuclear power in the US proves it can be safer than the alternatives.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Barbara Graham
Comin at u from Area 5150
01:38 PM on 06/10/2011
It'd be sheer stupidity to install reactors in volcano-studded Italy. Japan is a good example of this. You may, like the Japanese, assume that you're pretty safe if the facility can withstand a moderate earthquake. Just when the smug sets in, along comes a 9.0 to rock your world. And your reactors.

Yes, quakes of that magnitude are rare. Not rare enough to justify placing reactors in areas of potential vulnerability to large quakes. On the other hand, I used google satellite view to zoom in on Mt. Vesuvius one day. They've built up halfway up the mountain. It doesn't look like they're overly concerned about eruptions and earthquakes, but that's human nature, isn't it.