Anti-nuclear movement

Introduction:

The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes various nuclear

technologies. Some environmental groups have identified themselves with the
movement at the local, national, and international level. Major anti-nuclear groups
include Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace,
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, and the Nuclear
Information and Resource Service. The initial objective of the movement was
nuclear disarmament, though since the late 1960s opposition has included the use of
nuclear power. Many anti-nuclear groups oppose both nuclear power and nuclear
weapons.

Anti-nuclear perspectives:

Anti-nuclear groups believe that nuclear power is a risk to people and the
environment. These include health risks and environmental damage from uranium
mining, processing and transport, the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation, the
unsolved problem of nuclear waste, and the possibility of further serious accidents.
Anti-nuclear critics see nuclear power as a dangerous, expensive way to boil water
to generate electricity.

Opponents of nuclear energy make connections between the international export

and development of nuclear power technologies and the proliferation of nuclear
weapons. The facilities and expertise to produce nuclear power can be readily
adapted to produce nuclear weapons. Greenpeace suggests that nuclear power and
nuclear weapons have grown up like Siamese twins.

Nuclear accidents are often cited by anti-nuclear groups as evidence of the

inherent danger of nuclear power. The most well-known nuclear accident, a

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mishandled safety test at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 in Kiev,
Ukraine, "killed at least 4056 people and damaged almost $7 billion of property".
Radioactive fallout from the accident concentrated near Belarus, Ukraine and
Russia and at least 350,000 people were forcibly resettled away from these areas.
After the accident, "traces of radioactive deposits unique to Chernobyl were found
in nearly every country in the northern hemisphere". Other serious nuclear
accidents include the Mayak disaster, Soviet submarine K-431 accident, Soviet
submarine K-19 accident, Chalk River accidents, Windscale fire, Church Rock
Uranium Mill Spill and the SL-1 accident.

Nuclear-free alternatives:

Renewable energy technologies : geothermal, hydropower, wind, concentrating solar power, and biomass .

Anti-nuclear groups generally claim that reliance on nuclear energy can be reduced
by adopting energy conservation and energy efficiency measures. Energy efficiency
can reduce the consumption of energy while providing the same level of energy
"services".

Anti-nuclear groups also favour the use of renewable energy, such as wind power,
solar power, geothermal energy and biofuel. According to the International Energy
Agency, renewable energy technologies are essential contributors to the energy
supply portfolio, as they contribute to world energy security and provide
opportunities for mitigating greenhouse gases.

Conclusion:

After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accidents, anti-nuclear opposition
intensified in Germany. In March 2011, more than 200,000 people took part in anti-
nuclear protests in four large German cities, on the eve of state elections.
Organisers called it the biggest anti-nuclear demonstration the country has seen.
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Thousands of Germans demanding an end to the use of nuclear power took part in
nationwide demonstrations on 2 April 2011. After the Fukushima I nuclear
accidents, environmental activists at a U.N. meeting in April 2011 "urged bolder
steps to tap renewable energy so the world doesn't have to choose between the
dangers of nuclear power and the ravages of climate change".

In countries with existing nuclear programmes, people are significantly opposing

more than before. Most believe that boosting energy efficiency and renewable
energy can meet their needs.

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