"Nuclear is not a solution but a barrier for climate safe development"

“Not only climate change is a question of survival, also the right to and safe use of energy sources. And nuclear energy is not part of it” says Nadezhda Kutepova, president of Russian NGO Planet of Hopes.

Copenhagen, 11 December 2009 - A nuclear-free climate-safe energy scenario is feasible – this is what nuclear experts and women’s NGOs from around the globe will present at WECF’s first event during the official UNFCCC Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen

On Saturday December 12, from 11 am till 12.30 pm, WECF together with WILPF, IFG, Sortir du Nucleaire, NIRS, the Environmental Institute of Munich, Greenpeace, Eodefense and WISE, will “unmask” the true face of nuclear energy and launching WECF’s publication „Nuclear Power: The Critical Question“. Nuclear experts and radiation victims interviewed for the book - from Russia, Kazakhstan and Germany - will be sharing their experiences in a panel discussion.

Dr. Helen Caldicott, Nobel Peace Prize nominee and one of the world's leading nuclear experts, empassioned advocate for nuclear disarmament, and author of several books on the issue, will be presenting the connection between nuclear energy, nuclear weapons production and climate change in her key speech. A proposal for a nuclear-free post-Kyoto regime will be presented, followed by a discussion with members of environmental, development and women’s’ NGOs from a.o France, Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Germany.

One of the participants, Kaisha Atakhanova, from EcoForum Kazakhstan, states: “Nuclear energy is like a dragon with two heads - one of it is nuclear energy, the other one is nuclear weapons. They are connected. It is not safe and sustainable. It is not a solution for climate change. It is just a very pragmatic, but very dangerous business. Kazakhstan has to cope with the nuclear heritage from the Soviet period and the cold war. This not only costs a huge amount of money tax payer’s money, but our people pay with their health and that of future generations.

Muborak Sharipova, Open Asia, Tajikistan adds: “When we talk about new sources of energy, we should think how much closer people and the world will be to sustainable peace, if we do not use nuclear. The case of Iran shows very clearly that nuclear production and consumption does not serve the people of Iran, but serves the strenghtening of their dictatorship”.

Nadezhda Kutepova, lawyer and president of The Planet of Hopes, Russia: “Nobody knows how we can solve the problem of nuclear waste. We have thousand tons of liquid and non-liquid radioactive waste in my region. And today’s technology is just able to put it underground. Industry and governments want to use nuclear energy, but none of them takes responsibility for today’s decision. It will be a burden for generations to come - just as climate change. So not only climate change is a question of survival, also the right to and safe use of energy sources. Nuclear is not part of it”.

WECF
A healthy Environment for All is the main mission of WECF, Women in Europe for a Common Future. WECF is a network of a hundred women's and environmental organisations in 40 countries. Our network spans Western Europe and the EECCA region (Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia). WECF has three offices: in the Netherlands, Germany and France. WECF mobilises women to find affordable solutions to the environmental health problems in their communities and encourages women in decision making.

www.wecf.eu

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