Wednesday the 26th April was the 20th Anniversary of the Chernobyl meltdown; one of the worst nuclear disasters in human history. This meltdown has had devastating consequences for the people of Ukraine and Belarus, who still suffer from the radiation:
"At least three million children in Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation require physical treatment (due to the chernobyl accident). Not until 2016, at the earliest, will we know the full number of those likely to develop serious medical conditions."
Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, July 2004.On Wednesday I joined a small group of people to protest outside BHP headquarters, handing out flyers, and talking to people about Australia's role in the nuclear industry.
Australia currently has three operating Uranium mines, the largest of which, Olympic Dam, is currently owned by BHP. This mine was established against the wishes of the treaditional owners and has devastating impacts on the surrounding land. And this is just the first step of the nuclear cycle. The majority of our uranium is exported to other countries.
For more information:
http://www.foe.org.au/
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/...
http://www.acfonline.org.au/
http://www.chernobyl.info/
http://www.mapw.org.au
