PR:Anti-nuclear Infotour Stresses the Threats of Nuclear Power

Media Release – for immediate publication Tuesday June 29th, 2010

Anti-nuclear infotour stresses the threats of nuclear power:

Stop Nuking the Baltic Sea - Stop Nuclear Power!
'''Today the "Stop Nuclear Power! Baltic Sea Info Tour 2010" has been launched with a press conference in the Finnish parliament. While nuclear industry and governments are pushing dangerous atomic developments around the Baltic Sea, an info-tour of critics and activists travels for two months some 6,000 km and stops in 15 places to stop the nuclear nightmare. Together with the local movements they will do actions, connect to other activists and educate about the radioactive pollution of the Baltic Sea.'''

Baltic Sea. The Baltic Sea is the most radioactive in the world - that is what the data of the "Helsinki Commission", a body of scientists of the governments around the Baltic Sea shows. Concerned activists and organizations tour around the sea this summer to show up in the places of nuclear threats to people, environment and future generations.

They will put pressure on the decision makers in Finland who want to decide about additional nuclear power plants on July 1. They will highlight the threatening plans in Sweden to build new and more dangerous nuclear power plants one months before the Swedish citizens will vote for the new parliament. They will support the regional groups in Northern Germany who are preparing the resistance against the soon expected transport of high level nuclear waste to a repository in Greifswald by the Baltic Sea. They will protest together with Polish activists at the site of the proposed first Polish reactor. They will meet Russian activists to educate about the impacts of the new reactors at the Leningrad NPP in St. Petersburg. They will support the anti-nuclear movement of Belarus in their fight against nuclear power. Finally the info-tour will come back to Finland in the middle of August to show the nuclear industry and the government of the country of the so-called "Nuclear Renaissance" that they won't get rid of anti-nuclear protests and that the international anti-nuclear movement is willing to support the actions of the Finnish people against the atomic occupation of their region.

The tour has started in Finland as the Finnish parliament will decide on Thursday July 1 about the government's proposal to build two new nuclear reactors in Finland. "The Finnish government wants an additional plant at Olkiluoto in the Eurajoki region and a NPP for 'Fennovoima', the German joint venture with several Finnish companies to establish a third nuclear site in Finland in addition to Olkiluoto and Loviisa", explains the German anti-nuclear campaigner Falk Beyer. "No-one but the nuclear industry needs more nuclear power plants in Finland. It's a shame that the Finnish authorities seem to be in bed with the nuclear companies."

"The eyes of the world are already focused on Finland due to the construction of Olkiluoto 3 and the incredible number of problems that show the nuclear industry's incompetence to deal with this high risk technology. It seems absurd to contemplate additional reactors in the face of these failures, overrunning costs, massive delays and safety issues. The government is obviously willing to sacrifice people's health and the environment to the nuclear industry's profits."

In August the info-tour will visit the north of Finland to support the local anti-nuclear movements in their defence against the uranium industry's plans to contaminate large areas of north and east Finland. Tarna Kannisto a Finnish resident and anti-uranium mining activist remarks, "Uranium mining always causes the destruction of huge natural areas. It leaves great toxic and radioactive tailing ponds of waste waters and big stockpiles of non-exploitable uranium ore. Environment and people - especially the workers - will be contaminated badly and suffer health damages."

While the Swedish parliament is pushing the construction of new reactors at all of the existing nuclear power plant sites, the info-tour will arrive in Malmö and Stockholm one month before the Swedish parliamentary elections. With information events and street actions they will stress the threats of nuclear power and put pressure on the parties and decision-makers to withdraw their proposal for an extension of the atomic technology in Sweden.

In Lubmin close to Greifswald the intermediate repository for high level radioactive waste ZLN (Zwischenlager Nord) is located. Castor transports of high level radioactive waste are expected to take place by autumn of this year. Thus, the Baltic Sea Info Tour will stop in Greifswald to support the local resistance against these atomic shipments. They will also gather with anti-nuclear activists from all over Germany to share experience as help educating about the risks of nuclear power and especially the threats connected to these nuclear transports.

Since the governments of Russia and Belarus are pushing for the construction of new reactors, the info-tour will meet with activists in St. Petersburg, Minsk and Vilnius to protest against these power plants and to do action and information events in these cities. In Poland the Baltic Sea Info Tour will stop at Jezioro Zarnowieckie, the most likely site for the proposed first reactor of Poland. While Denmark has no atomic power itself it is affected by the Swedish nuclear industry - in Copenhagen the anti-nuclear tour will support activists to raise the public awareness for this threat.

The Baltic Sea Info Tour is important as it counters the pro-nuclear propaganda of a few powerful companies spreading lies to the people since they are claiming that atomic power would be clean, safe and necessary to protect the climate. The truth is the opposite: nuclear electricity is causing more carbon dioxide emissions than a modern gas fired station, because of the energy demanding uranium processing facilities. Hazardous accidents like the Chernobyl catastrophe or the disaster in Harrisburg are possible every day - the numerous accidents and incidents happening every year demonstrates this threat. However, atomic power also produces large amounts of eternally dangerous nuclear waste without any hope for a safe final solution. And even if there would be no accidents, the permanent radiation of the nuclear power plants is proven to be responsible for the significantly increased cancer rates around these facilities.

Today the Baltic Sea is regarded to be the most radioactively polluted sea in the world. This is due to the military and civil atomic industries - the impacts of the Chernobyl accident, nuclear bomb tests, Sellafield nuclear facilities (UK) and the nuclear power plants around the Baltic Sea. Radiation put into this inland sea is concentrated and not dispersed as there is less exchange of water with the ocean. Additional threats to the Baltic Sea are caused by the atomic transports across the sea of uranium, waste and fuel elements. The proposed final disposal sites beneath the sea in Finland and Sweden as well as by the new reactor projects in Russia, Belarus, Poland, Sweden and Finland would increase the radioactive impacts to the whole region.

The info-tour welcomes everybody interested to join the events and activities around the Baltic Sea. Information about the dates, topics and venues are provided by the website http://baltic-tour.nuclear-heritage.net.

Dear editor! You are warmly invited to publish about the info-tour and its targets. To visit the tour activities you should visit the website http://baltic-tour.nuclear-heritage.net and find out the places next to you. If you have questions you are welcome to contact us at [mailto:mediaATnuclear-heritage.net media AT nuclear-heritage.net] or at +358 41 7243254.

-- Nuclear Heritage Network WebSite: http://nuclear-heritage.net E-Mail: [mailto:contactATnuclear-heritage.net contact AT nuclear-heritage.net]

This media release is provided by the "Nuclear Heritage Network". It is an international network of anti-nuclear activists. This informal alliance supports the worldwide anti-nuclear work. The Nuclear Heritage Network is no label, has no standard opinion and no representatives. All activists of the network speak for themselves or for the groups they represent.