Nuclear

Greenpeace has always fought – and continues to fight – against nuclear weapons and nuclear power because it is an unacceptable risk to the environment and to humanity.

Get on board – Auckland Open Days

The Rainbow Warrior will be in Auckland from the 9th July and we will be open to the public for free tours on the weekends of 12th – 13th and 19th – 20th July. 

We’d love to have you on board!

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Nuclear free New Zealand

Here in Aotearoa, we fought hard for our nuclear-free status. We stood against nuclear testing in the Pacific. We refused visits from nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed ships. And in doing so, we led the world.

In March 1976, over 20 anti-nuclear and environmental groups, including Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth came together to form a loose coalition called the Campaign for Non-Nuclear Futures (CNNF).

The coalition’s mandate was to oppose the introduction of nuclear power and to promote renewable energy alternatives.

The USS Pintado submarine, escorted by the HMNZS Waikato (the same frigate sent to Moruroa test zone in 1973 by the New Zealand Government), is met by the Peace Squadron as it arrives in Waitemata harbour, Auckland in 1978. The vessel in the foreground is the Alliance - a scow which was part of the Peace Squadron. The growing anti-nuclear movement in New Zealand was hostile to visits from US ships because the Americans refused to confirm or deny whether their ships carried nuclear weapons. Public opinion was increasingly in favour of banning these visits. Between 1978 and 1983 opposition to nuclear-armed ship visits rose from 32% to 72%. In 1985 the Government effectively banned nuclear ship visits. New Zealand was the first country to declare itself nuclear free when it passed legislation in 1987.

In 1984, Prime Minister David Lange banned nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed ships from using New Zealand ports or entering New Zealand waters. Under the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987, the territorial sea, land and airspace of New Zealand became nuclear-free zones.

The Nuclear Campaign was Greenpeace’s first campaign in New Zealand. It initially grew out of the anti-nuclear and anti-war movements of the late 1960s, especially in Canada, where there were large numbers of anti-war US draft resisters and a large student movement that mobilised against US involvement in the Vietnam War, and nuclear weapons testing in the Aleutian Islands.

Nuclear power

Nuclear power is touted as a solution to energy problems, but in reality, it’s complex and hugely expensive to build. It also creates huge amounts of hazardous waste. Renewable energy, like wind and solar, is cheaper and can be installed quickly. Together with battery storage, it can generate the power we need and slash our emissions.

Nuclear power is incredibly expensive, hazardous and slow to build. It is often referred to as ‘clean’ energy because it doesn’t produce carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases when electricity is generated, but the reality is that it isn’t a plausible alternative to renewable energy sources.

Nuclear energy is also dangerous.

We’re still living with the legacy of radioactive accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima, and nuclear test radiation in the Marshall Islands. Nuclear power creates radioactive waste at every stage of production, including uranium mining and reprocessing of spent reactor fuel. Some of this waste will remain dangerously radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years, yet nobody knows of a way to safely store it.

Instead of backing nuclear power, world governments need to invest in renewable energy including wind and solar power. A thriving renewable energy industry will create jobs, provide cheaper electricity and help cut emissions much faster than nuclear power.

Nuclear weapons

In recent decades, there has been some progress towards ridding the world of nuclear weapons. But nuclear disarmament is still a long way off, and conventional wars still trap millions of people in ugly conflicts.

For a truly peaceful planet, we need to dispose of all weapons of mass destruction and focus on more peaceful objectives, such as renewable energy and responding to the climate emergency.

At the height of the Cold War in the 1960s it seemed almost inevitable that a terrifying nuclear arms race would spread to all corners of the globe, threatening the future of humanity. 

In the 1970s and 80s, Greenpeace campaigned for a ban on nuclear testing and helped relocate the people of Rongelap to Mejatto Island after decades of nuclear testing. It was after this final mission in 1985 that the French government ordered the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior whilst in New Zealand. After years of campaigning, a ban was achieved and ultimately the international community got together and agreed to ban nuclear weapons.

Fifty years on, almost all nations reject the need for nuclear weapons. Today only nine countries still possess them in clear contravention of international law (USA, Russia, China, UK, France, Israel, Pakistan, India and North Korea). But sabre rattling between posturing world leaders has increased the risk of nuclear conflict. Experts say the risk is greater than it has been in nearly 70 years.

The nuclear states’ obsession with nuclear weapons also diverts attention away from the biggest security threat of all – climate change. Our basic needs – food, water, shelter and energy – are being threatened by a rapidly changing climate. Left to fester, these problems pose a very real risk to global peace and security.

Spending endless billions on nuclear missiles is a costly diversion from tackling the real challenges we face today. And what do we gain? Bombs capable of flattening cities clearly can’t deter suicide bombers, deal with cyber-terrorism or prevent civil wars.

Despite the current political situation, more and more security experts and senior military figures now agree that a world free from nuclear weapons is both achievable and essential. And more people are realising that those few countries clinging onto nuclear arms are making the future more dangerous for both their own citizens and the rest of the planet.

But for the vast majority of countries and people around the world – peace is on our side.

The USS Pintado submarine, escorted by the HMNZS Waikato (the same frigate sent to Moruroa test zone in 1973 by the New Zealand Government), is met by the Peace Squadron as it arrives in Waitemata harbour, Auckland in 1978. The vessel in the foreground is the Alliance - a scow which was part of the Peace Squadron. The growing anti-nuclear movement in New Zealand was hostile to visits from US ships because the Americans refused to confirm or deny whether their ships carried nuclear weapons. Public opinion was increasingly in favour of banning these visits. Between 1978 and 1983 opposition to nuclear-armed ship visits rose from 32% to 72%. In 1985 the Government effectively banned nuclear ship visits. New Zealand was the first country to declare itself nuclear free when it passed legislation in 1987.

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