First independent measurements of the environmental protection organization in the region around nuclear power plant – assessments of the UN atomic energy agency must be reviewed
Kyiv/Vienna (OTS) – A team of international nuclear experts of the environmental protection organization Greenpeace, with the permission of the Ukrainian government, has examined an abandoned Russian position in Chornobyl for radioactive radiation in the past few days. It turns out that the radioactivity levels exceed the international limit for nuclear waste by up to four times. The values are thus at least three times higher than the estimates of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In April 2022, the IAEA provided very limited data and asserted that radiation levels were “normal.” These, the agency said, were not a major environmental or public safety concern. With these first-ever independent measurements, the Environmental Protection Agency refutes the IAEA’s statements. The results show that Russian activities, such as digging trenches, have exposed radioactive soil in the area and caused severe radiation exposure. The results were presented today, during a press conference in Kyiv.
The first-ever independent investigation of the region around the nuclear power plant shows that the IAEA’s statements should be questioned. “The IAEA lacks objectivity. It does not independently assess the risks of nuclear power,” says Thomas Breuer, a nuclear expert with Greenpeace Germany. The IAEA’s deputy director is Mikhail Chudakov, a longtime employee of the Russian nuclear company Rossatom. “In order for the agency to respond credibly to the multiple dangers of nuclear power, it must be transformed in the future from a nuclear proliferation agency to a monitoring agency. It has the expertise and experts to do this,” Breuer said.
Greenpeace strongly criticizes the classification of nuclear energy as “green energy” under the EU Taxonomy Regulation in light of the findings: “The inclusion of nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy is a big mistake. Nuclear energy is dangerous, expensive and drives countries that use nuclear power into dependence on warmongering regimes like Putin’s Russia. Moreover, nuclear power plants take decades to expand. We don’t have time for that in the escalating climate crisis,” says Jasmin Duregger, climate and energy expert at Greenpeace in Austria. “Greenpeace will therefore fight the decision legally with all its might in Europe. The time for nuclear energy is over. Investments in renewables must now finally be massively expanded and boosted,” Duregger demands.
Photo and video material of the sampling and the mission on site can be found here:
Photos: https://t1p.de/8halw Video footage: https://t1p.de/4crew Note: Greenpeace uses the Ukrainian spelling for cities and geographical names of Ukraine, i.e. “Kyiv” instead of “Kiev” and “Chornobyl” instead of “Chernobyl.”
Jasmin Duregger
Climate and Energy Expert
Greenpeace CEE in Austria
Tel: +43 (0) 664 840 3803
Email: [email protected]
Christian Steiner
Press Officer
Greenpeace in Central & Eastern Europe
Tel: +43 (0)664 81 69 711
Email: [email protected]
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