Friends of the Earth Cardiff Cyfeillion y Ddaear Caerdydd

As the full extent of the earthquake and tsunami disaster unfolds, our thoughts are with the people affected by the catastrophe in Japan. Many are also affected by the nuclear crisis at the Fukusima nuclear plants.

What is wrong with nuclear energy?

There are many different types of nuclear reactor, but any reactor can have a nuclear accident. This may release large quantities of radiation into the atmosphere.

Nuclear power plants regularly release radioactivity into the air and water around them during their normal operation.

The nuclear industry has failed to find a solution to the problem of nuclear waste for the last 50 years. The disposal of large amounts highly radioactive waste produced by nuclear reactors is one of the biggest problems for the nuclear industry. Some of the radioactive waste has to be isolated for hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions, of years before it is safe. Reprocessing used nuclear fuel makes the problem worse by producing more highly dangerous nuclear waste.

The nuclear reactor's owners shut it down when its working life is over. They then have to make it safe or 'decommission' it. The nuclear industry has to decommission over 400 nuclear power stations and many other nuclear installations worldwide in the next few decades. There are very few experts in this field. Many parts of the nuclear reactor have become radioactive during its working life. They must treat these as nuclear waste.

Almost everybody in Britain lives close to either a nuclear site or a nuclear transport route.

The economics of the UK nuclear industry and of the industry worldwide mean they will have to spend vast sums of money on nuclear waste disposal, decommissioning, transporting nuclear material and cleaning up after nuclear accidents.

The human cost

A 64 year old vegetable farmer in Fukushima committed suicide the day after the Japanese government declared restrictions on eating vegetables produced in Fukushima and neighbouring areas because of radioactive contamination. He had a cabbage patch growing 7,500 cabbages.

A very old Ryokan (Japanese Inn) in Fukushima was closed for the first time in more than 100 years. The Ryokan was not affected by earthquake or tsunami, but it was 60km from the nuclear plants, outside of the evacuation zone. The room bookings were all cancelled after the nuclear accident.

There are many similar stories. Those affected can ask for compensation from the government, but life will never be how it was before the accident.

The alternative

Investing in clean renewable energy such as wind power, wave power, tidal power, hydroelectric power, solar power, fuel crops and geothermal energy is much more sensible. In a recent poll, 75 per cent of people said they want energy saving and renewables to be Government's top energy priorities.

Our Government has now launched a welcome review of the UK's nuclear safety. It is time to tell the UK Government that we can meet our energy needs without gambling on nuclear power.

Please sign our petition for a safer energy future. Join the 21,000 people who have already done so.