71 years ago today a nuclear bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima towards the end of the Second World War.

A second nuclear bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki a few days later on 9th August 1945. The two bombings killed at least 129,000 people.

In remembrance of these two atrocities 71 years on, Green MEP Jean Lambert said:

“The two nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were two nuclear bombings too many. 71 years on they remain a stain on history and they must never be forgotten. We must always remember the horror of nuclear warfare.

“In 2016 we face new and changing security threats but nuclear weapons will never be the answer to any conflict. It was deeply alarming to hear the new Prime Minister Theresa May say ‘yes’ when asked recently if she would be prepared to use nuclear weapons. Nuclear so-called ‘deterrents’ do not make us more secure in the modern world – on the contrary, they provide a perverse incentive for other countries to procure such weapons. Instead of renewing Trident the UK should be disarming and pushing for a global ban on nuclear weapons which are now the only weapon of mass destruction not explicitly prohibited by international law.

“On this important anniversary Greens remain committed to continue to work for a nuclear-free world.”

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The response was co-ordinated and drafted by Dr Dr Paul Dorfman of the Energy Institute at University College London.

Download consulation response here

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Download here: European Stress test for Nuclear Power Plants

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Campaigners from the Nuclear Trains’ Action Group (NTAG) gathered at the Stratford Advice Arcade to highlight the dangers posed to Londoners by the regular movement of radio active waste from power stations in Kent and Suffolk to Sellafield.  The trains, which are loaded with spent nuclear fuel rods, pass by the Maryland and Stratford stations and continue through the middle of the Olympic site on the North London Line before heading north to Cumbria.  At times, the trains are just metres from the new Aquatics Centre.

Research carried out by NTAG shows that a serious accident or terrorist attack which broke open a nuclear flask would result in the release of highly-radioactive material which could kill thousands of people downwind in a built up areas such as East London and require mass evacuation of a large area for a considerable period.

Speaking at the meeting, Jean, who is currently involved in new European legislation on nuclear waste management, said: “With the Olympic games now a mere 12 months away, Londoners must be warned of the dangerous radiation coming from these trains and the impact of a major accident on the population of London.  Transport vehicles for nuclear fuel have long been seen as a potential target for terrorists and a successful attack during the Games would be nothing short of a so-called ‘spectacular’. For this reason, the Olympic organisers must put a stop to these trains before the Games begin.  The lives of Londoners must be the top priority.

“The UK government would have us believe that nuclear is necessary for a low-carbon future but this just isn’t the case.  Renewable energy is affordable, safe and clean and the UK has some of the best resources in Europe. In order to stop the transport of nuclear waste through London for good, we have to turn our backs on fossil fuels and make the permanent switch to real renewable energy.  Only this change will make both London and the rest of the world a safer place.”

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Despite abandoning its nuclear programme in 1987, the Italian government had formulated plans to generate a quarter of the nation’s electricity with atomic energy by 2030.

Jean, who is currently involved in new European legislation on nuclear waste management, said: “Italy is yet another country that’s saying goodbye to the so-called ‘nuclear renaissance’.  This is an important signal for Europe.  After the catastrophe in Fukushima, Italy is, after Germany and Switzerland, the third country in Europe to turn its back on nuclear energy.  As things now stand, a majority of EU Member States either don’t use nuclear energy or have decided to phase out this high risk technology. The aim must be a complete switch to renewable energies, to greater energy efficiency, and to enhanced measures against climate change.”

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In the report he said, in language which now sounds a little dated and sexist: It is beside the point for the man in the street to declare himself in favour of nuclear power as long as the reactors are situated many miles away, when the irradiated fuel from those reactors is being carried within a half-mile of his home.

The report also says that: nuclear safety should not be regarded as a series of isolated danger spots on remote parts of the coastline, but as a single entity, the shape of which corresponds to the transportation network (at present mostly rail) linking the reactors with Windscale (now Sellafield)

That is still true today – the nuclear industry is a network, formed by transport routes, because there is still a problem in dealing with the toxic by-products of that industry. And it is worth remembering the effects of those toxins as we approach the anniversaries of the horrendous Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings in early August. The effects of any major release of radioactivity from spent fuel during its journey are potentially devastating: no less shocking than the effects of the London tube bombings.

Nuclear sites and the transport for nuclear fuel and spent fuel have long been seen as potential targets for terrorist attack. If you were planning a so-called “spectacular”, the Olympic Games are an obvious target as we have seen in past on at least two occasions.

In 2001, an enquiry by the London Assembly into the transport of nuclear spent fuel through London raised a number of concerns about trackside security, emergency response planning, the ability of public services to cope etc. That is an area to return to when we are facing vicious cuts to public services.

In May this year, Green Member of the London Assembly Darren Johnson, asked the current Mayor the following question:

What reassurances or information can you provide to Londoners whilst the North London Line is closed, and with the prospect of the route running through the site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games? Have you liaised with the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency, the Metropolitan Police Service and the relevant Government departments?

As you might expect, given that this Mayor is rather different to his predecessor, his answer was not what we would have hoped for:

“It falls outside of my jurisdiction,” he said. “… I am therefore unable to confirm if nuclear waste will be transported through London during the 2012 Games. However I have no concerns regarding the transportation of nuclear waste, and have full faith that the government agencies responsible undertake this in a safe manner which poses no risk to Londoners or visitors during the Games.”

So that’s all right then – I feel very reassured, as I’m sure you do. He went on to say: “May I suggest your question is better placed to the Government? ”

So, the Mayor of London “has no concerns”…. Many of us do. That’s why we’re here today!

So, we will “take it up with the Government”. And when we do – will make the point that the plans of the previous (Labour) Government for 10 new nuclear power stations (many using existing sites) will keep this nuclear web in place.

We will also make the point that there are safer alternatives in real, renewable energy – not the greenwash treatment currently being given to nuclear power.

Only this week, Germany’s Federal Environment Agency announced that: Germany could derive all of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2050 and become the world’s first major industrial nation to kick the fossil-fuel habit. Germany has a nuclear moratorium thanks to the Greens. Last month a report by the UK’s Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth, mid Wales, said Britain could eliminate all its carbon emissions by 2030 by overhauling its power supply (and not including nuclear power)

We are being told that nuclear energy is necessary for a low-carbon future, in order to help combat climate change. Climate change is a debt from our past to us, now and for future generations. Nuclear waste – containing some of most deadly substances known in the world today – is another debt to future generations and a real risk to us now.

We have to tackle this environmental debt-crisis: we have to switch off our fossil-fuel habit and switch on to real renewable energy. That will permanently stop the transport of nuclear waste through London and make this world a safer place.

Jean speaking at the anti-nuke trains demonstration in Victoria Park, Tower Hamlets, on Saturday, July 10th.

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