Feature story - June 11, 2002
As G8 foreign ministers were set to discuss schemes to counter nuclear and other security threats, Greenpeace called on them to invest in true security rather than squander billions of dollars on destabilizing the planet.
Diver sampling outflow from French plant that produces MOX fuel.
Greenpeace warned that global security could only be achieved
through
sustainable environmental measures coupled with social and
financial
justice for all.
A proposed US funding scheme to counter nuclear proliferation
and other security threats asks the US and G7 countries (excluding
Russia) to contribute $US20 billion over ten years to fund a
process that uses plutonium to create mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for
nuclear reactors.
However this move would threaten both the environment and global
security.
Simon Carroll, Greenpeace nuclear and disarmament campaigner
said, "Plutonium, like any nuclear material, is inherently unsafe,
damaging the environment and human health for generations and
creating a product that countries could use to produce nuclear
weapons, or could fall into the hands of terrorists."
Greenpeace is also calling on G8 countries to strengthen their
efforts to
combat illegal logging, which is being reviewed at the meeting.
Many G8 countries, including Canada, France and the UK, continue to
import wood products from regions including the Amazon and Liberia
where illegal production takes place.
Greenpeace forests campaigner Uta Bellion warned that, "As well
as the environmental and social impact of illegal logging, there is
clear documentation that forest countries like Liberia use the
logging industry as a front for terrorist activities, including
funding groups such as Al Qaeda."