March, 11 2011, 03:00pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Kelly Trout, 202-222-0722, ktrout@foe.org; Nick Berning, 202-222-0748 office, 703-587-4454 mobile, nberning@foe.org
Friends of the Earth Monitoring Ongoing Nuclear Emergency in Japan
Reports indicate at least one reactor still experiencing dangerous cooling problems
WASHINGTON
Nuclear experts at Friends of the Earth U.S. are monitoring the ongoing nuclear reactor emergency in Japan, which has occurred in the wake of the massive earthquake and tsunami this morning.
Recent news reports indicate 11 Japanese commercial power reactors have shut down after the earthquake, and that at least one reactor continues to experience substantial problems.
The Associated Press reports that cooling systems aren't working in the 460 megawatt Fukushima I-1 reactor, and that "plant workers are scrambling to restore cooling water supply at the plant but there is no prospect for immediate success." News outlets have also reported that radiation may be released into the air in order to lower pressure levels within the reactor. The worst case scenario if a reactor core cannot be adequately cooled is a meltdown in which dangerous radiation is released into the environment.
A state of emergency has been declared, and thousands of people living near the reactors have been evacuated. National broadcaster NHK said it was the first time a nuclear emergency evacuation order had been issued in Japan.
The U.S. military has reportedly been working with the Japanese government to address the emergency at the Fukushima plant.
"This is a troubling situation and we are monitoring it closely," said Damon Moglen, a nuclear power expert who directs the climate and energy project at Friends of the Earth.
Tom Clements, southeastern nuclear coordinator for Friends of the Earth, said, "This incident is likely to cause a sober reassessment of the construction of new nuclear reactors in the U.S., as nuclear technology can go from normal operation to an accident of frightening proportions in a manner of minutes."
Friends of the Earth nuclear experts are in contact with Japanese activists and are available to discuss the emergency in Japan and what it could mean for reactors in the U.S. with members of the media. They can be reached via Kelly Trout at 202-222-0722 or Nick Berning at 202-222-0748.
Friends of the Earth fights for a more healthy and just world. Together we speak truth to power and expose those who endanger the health of people and the planet for corporate profit. We organize to build long-term political power and campaign to change the rules of our economic and political systems that create injustice and destroy nature.
(202) 783-7400LATEST NEWS
UN Chief Warns of Israel's Syria Invasion and Land Seizures
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the "urgent need" for Israel to "de-escalate violence on all fronts."
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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday that he is "deeply concerned" by Israel's "recent and extensive violations of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," including a ground invasion and airstrikes carried out by the Israel Defense Forces in the war-torn Mideastern nation.
Guterres "is particularly concerned over the hundreds of Israeli airstrikes on several locations in Syria" and has stressed the "urgent need to de-escalate violence on all fronts throughout the country," said U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
Israel claims its invasion and bombardment of Syria—which come as the United States and Turkey have also violated Syrian sovereignty with air and ground attacks—are meant to create a security buffer along the countries' shared border in the wake of last week's fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and amid the IDF's ongoing assault on Gaza, which has killed or wounded more than 162,000 Palestinians and is the subject of an International Court of Justice genocide case.
While Israel argues that its invasion of Syria does not violate a 1974 armistice agreement between the two countries because the Assad dynasty no longer rules the neighboring nation, Dujarric said Guterres maintains that Israel must uphold its obligations under the deal, "including by ending all unauthorized presence in the area of separation and refraining from any action that would undermine the cease-fire and stability in Golan."
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"The Syrian army abandoned its positions in the area... which potentially creates a vacuum that could have been filled by terrorist organizations," U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press briefing earlier this week. "Israel has said that these actions are temporary to defend its borders. These are not permanent actions... We support all sides upholding the 1974 disengagement agreement."
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Addressing the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and conversations it has sparked about the country's for-profit system, longtime Medicare for All advocate Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday condemned the murder and stressed that getting to universal coverage will require a movement challenging corporate money in politics.
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The 83-year-old Vermonter, who was just reelected to what he says is likely his last six-year term, is an Independent but caucuses with Democrats and sought their presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020. He has urged the Democratic Party to recognize why some working-class voters have abandoned it since Republicans won the White House and both chambers of Congress last month. A refusal to take on insurance and drug companies and overhaul the healthcare system, he argues, is one reason.
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In addition to highlighting Sanders' interview on social media, Congressman Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) pointed out to Business Insider on Wednesday that "you've got thousands of people that are sharing their stories of frustration" in the wake of Thompson's death.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)—a co-sponsor of Sanders' Medicare for All Act—similarly toldHuffPost in a Tuesday interview, "The visceral response from people across this country who feel cheated, ripped off, and threatened by the vile practices of their insurance companies should be a warning to everyone in the healthcare system."
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Reporters Without Borders' (RSF) 2024 roundup, which was published Thursday, found that at least 54 journalists were killed on the job or in connection with their work this year, and 18 of them were killed by Israeli armed forces (16 in Palestine, and two in Lebanon).
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Meanwhile, in a statement released Thursday, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) announced that at least 139 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed since the war in Gaza began in 2023, and in a statement released Wednesday, IFJ announced that 104 journalists had perished worldwide this year (which includes deaths from January 1 through December 10). IFJ's number for all of 2024 appears to be higher than RSF because RSF is only counting deaths that occurred "on the job or in connection with their work."
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