How much is an eye worth?
A leg? An arm?
Are two arms more than one multiplied by two?
Who will feed you, bathe you, dress you?
How about a life, what is it worth?
A child’s?
Well it depends.
The above-quoted poem by Laurie Reichek on December 11, 2006 – Human Rights Day is witness to the fact that the world has, over the years, succumbed to various forms of injustice. Ironically, man is the onus for the grave onslaughts. A healthy and salubrious natural world is the most basic and promising interest human beings share. Unfortunately, activists for social justice and the anti-nuke environmentalists are always on rough seas.
Disastrous ecological effects of rampant militarism, the holocaust of nuclear warfare, and policies have thrown into maelstrom have aggravated the situation.
The subject of concern is the anti-nuclear move, a social movement, international opposition to the use of nuclear technologies. The most dominant issue is nuclear power. The other tenets of the anti-nuclear group are
- Opposition to the nuclear weapons
- Opposition to the use of Radioactivity and food irradiation
- Opposition to radiation, including microwave radiation.
This opposition has come from both political organizations and grassroots movements from all over the world. Stemming mainly from the novels such as Fail-Safe and films such as Dr. Stray Love or How I Learned to Stop Worrying, and Love the Bomb, misuse of radioactivity achieved international significance. The use of atomic weapons on Japan and the subsequent terror were the reasons for the anti-nuclear movement. Since the 1960’s1960’s massive nuclear disarmament programs have been organized to create awareness among the public regarding the dangers imposed by nuclear weapons. Continuing birth defects that affect generation after generation, permanent deformities, and genetic disorders have been the prime motives for the global uprising against possession of nuclear power.
Anti-nukes claim that energy that is democratic, sustainable, and benign should be the panacea for the ailing masses. They argue that available renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies are faster, cheaper, safer, and cleaner strategies for reducing greenhouse emissions than nuclear power. Each agency advocates change in government policies and the establishment of regulatory agencies to check the indiscriminate growth of nuclear power plants.
The United States of America is the country with a sizeable number of nuclear power plants. The late 1970’s1970’s and 1980’s1980’s witnessed non-violent demonstrations throughout the world. Notable among them are
- Committee for Nuclear Response: a nonprofit educational group that provides independent analyses for the health effects of sources of ionizing radiation.
- Greenpeace USA: The Greenpeace USA states that: Few of us want a nuclear plant in our community – heard about Three Mile Island and Chernobyl and knew that accidents could happen anywhere.
So it’s completely unacceptable that the U.S. government is pushing to make nukes when most of the rest of the world is saying “so long.”
No Nukes Group:
Bonnie Raitt, Graham Nash, and Jack Browne are part of the No Nukes group, which is against the expansion of nuclear power in the USA. In 2007, they recorded a music video of a new version of the Buffalo Spring Field song for what it’s worth.
The Seneca Women’sWomen’s Encampment for a Future of Peace and Justice – referred to as The Encampment, the Women’sWomen’s Encampment for a Future of Peace and Justice, and The Women held a rally against nuclear weapons and the “patriarchal society” that created and used those weapons. The purpose of the encampment was to stop the scheduled deployment of cruise and Pershing II missiles before they suspected shipment from Seneca Army Depot.
Of particular interest is the contribution of Dr. Helen Broinowski Caldicott.
Her autobiography – A Desperate Passion recalls ”I suddenly realized I was now an adult. No longer could I expect other people to make the world safe.
I had to accept that the responsibility for the safety of the child, for his future: that of all the children in the nuclear age – was now mine.’ ‘ She joined WAND (Women Action for Nuclear Disarmament) and continues her lifelong crusade against nuclear weapons. One of her books, If You Love the Planet, deals with the need for peace and justice. (The my hero Project, 2007).
Anne Lauvergeon, France’sFrance’s nuclear crusader, is taking on the state and the world. She was livid, having fought hard to assemble Areva from the hierarchy factions of France’sFrance’s State-owned nuclear establishment Cogema (fuel and mining) and Framatome (reactor building). (Levine, 2007).
Murray Bookchin, in an open letter to the Ecology Movement Toward an Ecological Society (Montreal – Black Rose Books 1990), states Only in so far as counter-culture, alternative technology, or anti-nuclear movement rests on the nonhierarchial sensibilities and structure that are most evident in the truly radicle tendencies in feminism can the ecology movement realize its rich potential of basic changes in our prevailing Anti Ecological Society and its values. (Bookchin, 1980).
An ecological wave of Baikal is one of the few groups that continued to ask questions. In doing so, they have gathered an ever-increasing number of supporters within the local community. Lake Baikal, the worlds world’s deepest lake and claimed by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as one of the worlds world’s Natural Heritage Sites, could be in threat as the site for the establishment of International Uranium Enrichment Centre (IUER) in the town of hangars, 30 km from Irkutsk and 100 km. From lake Baikal. (India media U.K., 2008).
21-year-old Ilya Borodaeuko from Nachodka suffered a head fracture during the unprovoked attack by Nazi activists on an anti-nuclear protest camp in Russia. She later died in hospital from injuries. Many others were reported to be seriously injured.
Women student’s participation in movements against the suppression of women by society and their realization of the importance of preserving the environment is exemplary. (India media U.K., 2008).
The anti-nuke activists continue to stage worldwide protests against nuclear armament. Their persistent efforts to resolve the issue continue to attract a large number of people from various parts of the world. Some of the movements launched in this direction are Green Peace in the USA, Anti Nuclear Movement in Africa, Anti Nuclear Movement in Australia, No New Nukes in the U.K., Anti Nuclear Movement in Germany, Citizen’sCitizen’s Nuclear Information Centre, Japan.
In their struggle for equality, oppression, and injustice, women have come forward to voice their opinion against the destruction of the environment.
The nuclear threat to life and the anguish of its victims are the sole reasons of women contributing to the movement.
Demonstrations in the form of peace marches, silent protests and life long wars against nuclear power have been the most common strategies of their relentless dissent on nuclear power.
Reference
Bookchin, Murray. (1980). ”Open Letter to the Ecology Movement” in Toward an Ecological Society. Web.
Levine, Joshua. (2007). Power women. Forbes.com. Web.
India media U.K. (2008). Web.
The My hero projects. (2007). My hero celebrate Black history month. Web.