World Insights: Science should guide Fukushima wastewater release plan, Pacific leaders say
FilephototakenonOct.12,2017showshugetanksthatstorecontaminatedradioactivewastewaterinFukushimaDaiichinuclearplant,inFukushimaPrefecture,Japan.(Xinhua)
SUVA,Feb.26(Xinhua)--PacificleadersonFridaywrappedupthetwo-dayPacificIslandsForum(PIF)SpecialLeaders"RetreatinFiji,whereJapan"sFukushimawastewaterreleaseplanwasinthelimelight.
ThePIFrotatingchairunderlinedinastatementthatscienceanddatashouldguidepoliticaldecisionsonJapan"sproposeddischargeoftreatedradioactivewastewaterfromthewreckedFukushimanuclearplantintothesea.
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TheoutgoingchairandFiji"sPrimeMinisterSitiveniRabuka,togetherwithotherPIFleaders,believesthedecisionisnotassimpleasadomesticissueofJapan,butconcernstheSouthPacificislandcountriesandbeyond.
GiventhatrelateddataandevidenceprovidedbyJapanarefarfromindependentorverifiable,thePIFhascalledonthecountryrepeatedlytodelaythedischargeplan.
PeoplerallytoprotestagainsttheJapanesegovernment"sdecisiontodischargecontaminatedradioactivewastewaterinFukushimaPrefectureintothesea,inTokyo,capitalofJapan,April13,2021.(Xinhua/DuXiaoyi)
CRITICISMFROMINT"LCOMMUNITY
CivilsocietygroupsinJapanandmanyinternationalorganizationshavealsovoicedobjectionstotheplan,citingalackofapracticaldemonstrationanditspotentialthreattosocietyandmarineecology.
Overthepastyears,fishermeninneighboringcountrieshavestagedseveralrallies,callingforimmediatestoptothe"gravecriminalact"ofreleasingradioactivewaterintothesea.WithinJapan,localcivicgroupshaveorganizedprotestsoutsidethegovernmenthouseofFukushimaPrefecture.
Japan"sunilateralpushtodischargeradioactivewastewaterfromitscrippledFukushimaDaiichinuclearpowerplantintothePacificOceanisirresponsibleandharmful,SouthKoreangreenactivistshavesaid.
"ThePacificOceanisnottheseaofJapan,buttheseaofeverybody...Pollutantswillflowtoneighboringcountriesinasituationthatalotofradioactivematerialshavealreadybeenreleasedandcontaminated(themarineecosystem),"AhnJae-hun,energyandclimatechangedirectorattheKoreaFederationforEnvironmentMovement,toldXinhua.
TheJapanesegovernment"sdecisiontodischargethecontaminatedwaterintotheseawhentherearealternativessuchaslong-termstorageviolatestheprecautionaryprinciplerecognizedbytheinternationalcommunity,GreenpeaceSeoulOfficehassaid.Greenpeaceisanindependentglobalcampaigningnetworkforenvironmentprotection.
"Wemustpreventactionthatwillleadormisleadustowardanothermajornuclearcontaminationdisasteratthehandsofothers,"saidPIFSecretaryGeneralHenryPuna.
TakealookathowJapanproceededwiththat.
TheJapanesegovernmentdecidedinApril2021toreleasemorethanonemilliontonsoftreatedwastewaterintothePacificOceanthisspring.
Threemonthslater,JapangreenlitthedischargeplanwhiletheInternationalAtomicEnergyAgency(IAEA)"staskforcewasstillconductingthereviewmission.
Earlierthisyear,Japanunilaterallyannouncedthatitwouldstartdischargingtheradioactivewaterinspringorsummer,justbeforetheagency"staskforcearrivesinJapanforreview.
ApostertoboycottJapaneseproductsisseeninasupermarkettoprotestagainstJapan"sdecisiontodumpradioactivewastewaterfromthecrippledFukushimaDaiichinuclearpowerplantintothePacificOcean,inSeoul,SouthKorea,April14,2021.(PhotobyXuRuxi/Xinhua)
PACIFICOPPOSITION
PacificislandcountriesunanimouslyopposeJapan"sreleaseplanformultiplereasons,citingecologicalfragility,economicdependenceonthefisheriesindustry,andthedevastatingeffectsofradioactivepollutioncausedbyWesternnucleartesting.
First,Pacificislandcountriesareconcernedthatthereleasedradioactivesubstanceswillspreadwithoceancurrentsandtides,riskingcontaminatingfish.Asmorethanhalfoftheworld"stunacomesfromthePacificOcean,apotentiallycontaminatedenvironmentcouldhurtthefisheriesthatthosecountriesrelyon.
Second,thePacificOcean"sdelicateecologymaycomeunderthreat.Ifthewastewaterreleaseleadstoanecologicaldisaster,thevulnerableislandresidentswillleavetheirhomes,causinganecologicalandsurvivalcrisisthatwilldealaheavyblowtotheentirePacificregion.
Last,WesterncountrieshaveconductedadazzlingarrayofnucleartestsinthePacificsincethemid-20thcentury,resultinginshockingradioactivepollutionandecologicaldisasters.Thesehaveleftpainfulmemoriesforislanders,whohavebeensensitivetothewastewaterissue.
AnalystsbelievethatJapanshouldnotignoretheconcernsandlivelihoodsofPacificislanders.Neithershoulditdumpthewastewaterintotheseauntildisputesaresettledoverthelegitimacyofthedischargeplan,thereliabilityofradioactivitydata,theeffectivenessofpurificationequipmentandtheuncertaintyofenvironmentalimpact,theyadded.
ByZengYan,GuoYuqi,ZhangYongxing,WangXinyi
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