GREEN Party Euro-MPs Jean Lambert (London) and Caroline Lucas (South-East England) have called on the Government to mark the 18th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster with a commitment to build no nuclear power stations in the UK - ever.
Today marks the 18th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear accident - which drove hundreds of thousands from their homes and land and contaminated huge tracts of land in the then Soviet Union and the rest of Europe with radioactive material. As recently as last year it was reported that 400 farms in the UK were still contaminated and subject to regular testing. The UN declared the accident a 'global ecological disaster'.
Mrs Lambert, London's Green Party MEP said: "The terrible effects of the world's worst nuclear accident are still being felt across Europe, a full generation later. Children born on the day of the disaster have turned 18 this week.
"The truth is nuclear accidents are entirely preventable.
For years we have been saying we owe it to Chernobyl's children to ensure the
events of April 1986 are never repeated by closing down the nuclear power industry
once and for all. From today they can demand we do so at the ballot box -
and
politicians will have to start listening."
Caroline Lucas added: "The only sure way to guarantee there is never another Chernobyl is to shut down the nuclear power industry, close reprocessing plants, stop importing nuclear waste - and decommission all nuclear weapons and research reactors.
"On this dark anniversary I challenge MPs to take the first steps towards making this programme a reality by introducing and supporting legislation to outlaw the construction of any new nuclear reactors on UK soil."
ENDS
For more information
please contact Ben or Katy on 020 7407 6280, 07973 823358 or at press@greenmeps.org.uk