Target: Yoshihide Suga , Prime Minister of Japan
Goal: Stop planned release of a million tons of radioactive water into Pacific Ocean.
About one million tons of radioactive water could find its way into the Pacific Ocean courtesy of deliberate human action. Japanese officials recently announced that in two years, stored-up water from the Fukushima nuclear plant would be dumped into the ocean. The water has been held at the facility since an earthquake rendered it inoperable. While officials claim they will decontaminate the toxic liquid, they cannot guarantee its safety or its ultimate impact on marine and human life. In fact, the levels of toxicity within the water still remain unknown.
Radioactive releases are notorious for creating “dead zones” where entire regions are essentially uninhabitable. The infamous Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown killed countless humans and other living beings in its vicinity within days. Decades later, the deaths from cancer likely caused by the exposure may number in the tens of thousands. To this day, the area surrounding the facility remains radioactive and a threat to life.
Marine life stands to lose the most if this effort goes awry. Local fishing industries have already expressed concern about the potential effects on fish populations. Marine scientists, neighboring countries, and many Japanese citizens have also been swift with condemnation.
Sign the petition below to urge Japan to halt this initiative that poses an imminent and long-term threat to environmental wellness.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Prime Minister Suga,
The past year has taught the world one important lesson: listen to science. Marine scientists and conservation groups have raised serious concerns about the impact of the planned release of water from the Fukushima nuclear facility. You can make assurances, but dumping the equivalent of 1,000 tanks’ worth of water stored at a nuclear plant does pose a risk.
Even the one substance you claim will remain present in the water has only been referenced in relation to its minimal estimated impact on human health. What about the scores of marine animals in its direct line? More so, what about the ruthenium, plutonium, cobalt, strontium, and other radioactive substances that can break through decontamination processes?
Even if the odds are one in a million of a bad outcome, that one chance is not worth the risk of another Chernobyl-style environmental disaster. Please reassess this dangerous plan, listen to the experts, and do not put limitless living beings and ecosystems in harm’s way.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Tomchenko Olha
Japan has no right to dump nebular waste into the ocean. This earth is dying and humans are the cause. No one is so stupid as to know this action is wrong on so many levels. Soon ALL countries will have to answer to the rest of the world for even considering such actions. The earth can not take much more. Greed and laziness is the foundation of such inconsiderate and lethal action. This is not a dress rehearsal, we are not going to save the earth with ignorance. There is no excuse for Japan. If the entire world boycotted the country found to be proceeding with such lethal action then the country doing so would be isolated. Their people would know why. This is not too distant in the future if we are to actually save the planet.
This simply MUST NOT HAPPEN. It’s irresponsible and unacceptable. It will endanger ALL sea life, and ALL who consume seafoods, and it will IRREPARABLY HARM OUR OCEANS.
I am disgusted with Japan. I thought that this country had more brains than this. If these scumbags release this nuclear waste then lets bring on another world war against these scumbags and exterminate them all!
OK, Michelle. Get a grip!!! Another World War would be just as bad if not worse than what the Japanese want to do with their nuclear wastes. I’m sure you spoke out of frustration. This is a very serious matter. NO nuclear waste should EVER be put into an ocean. Currents would move this waste all over, posing a danger to ocean and land. They need to figure out some other way to manage their problem. We already dump so much waste into the oceans. It needs to stop!