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Dr. Helen Caldicott Fukushima statement: 'Destroyer of Worlds'

Deborah Dupre's photo
Human Rights Examiner

On March 16, five days after onset of the Fukushima earthquake-nuclear catastrophe, Dr. Helen Caldicott released the statement below.

The single most articulate and passionate advocate of citizen action to remedy the nuclear and environmental crises, Dr Caldicott has devoted the last 38 years to an international campaign to educate the public about the medical hazards of the nuclear age and the necessary changes in human behavior to stop environmental destruction.

Dr Caldicott divides her time between Australia and the US where she lectures widely. She founded the US-based Nuclear Policy Research Institute (NPRI), which evolved into Beyond Nuclear, of which Dr Caldicott is Founding President.

Beyond Nuclear aims to educate and activate the public about the connections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons and the need to abandon both to safeguard our future.

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'Destroyer of Worlds' Statement, March 16, 2011

As I write this – on the afternoon of March 16 in the United States – the situation at the Fukashima Nuclear Plant No. 1 is, tragically, looking increasingly grim. Radiation levels are increasing, mass evacuations in the area surrounding Fukushima are underway; and experts are speculating –with trepidation, but understandable caution – about how far the radiation will spread, both within Japan and to other parts of the planet.
 
My heart goes out to the people of Japan who are of course suffering under the double blow of the effects of the earthquake and tsunami, as well as the threat from the Fukushima reactors.
 
They are dealing stoically and with great dignity with conditions that are severely challenging. And I want to pay special tribute to the incredibly brave band of TEPCO workers who are fighting to bring the situation at the plant under control. Their efforts are heroic, their courage beyond measure.
 
The world is now paying – and will pay however severe Fukushima turns out to be – a grave price for the nuclear industry’s hubris and the arrogance and greed that fueled their drive to build more and more reactors. What’s more, having bamboozled gullible politicians, the media, and much of the public into believing that it is a “clean and green” solution to the problem of global warming, the nuclear industry has operated facilities improperly, with little or no regard for safety regulations, and they have often done this with the connivance of government authorities.
 
Nuclear power is not the answer to global warming; it is not clean, it is not green; it is not safe; and it is not renewable. It is instead “a destroyer of worlds.” It is time the global community repudiated it – however economically painful in the short term that taking such a step would be. There is no other choice for the sake of future generations.
'Nuclear energy...not clean, not green; not safe; not renewable'
'Nuclear energy...not clean, not green; not safe; not renewable'
Photo credit: 
Dr. Helen Caldicott

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Deborah Dupre' holds American and Australian science and education graduate degrees plus thirty years human rights, environmental and peace activism; led Aboriginal Pacific Islander and Australian research; holds pivotal role in FUEL; co-founded America's Green Team, FUEL; lectures on Ancient...

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