Copyrights Greenpeace/Gabor Sioreti
Top News: High radiation levels found in seawater near Fukushima; the pursuit of clean energy sources in Japanese reconstruction plans; the original Greenpeace house is up for sale.
# Nuclear: Japan’s Nuclear Safety Agency announced findings of radioactive iodine standing at 3,355 times the legal limit in seawater near Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. TEPCO (the Fukushima nuclear operator) and the agency claim to not know where the leak is coming from. Meanwhile, TEPCO’s president has been admitted to the hospital for high blood pressure and dizziness.
#Nuclear: Greenpeace held a press conference earlier today in Tokyo, with more than 50 journalists present. There were some great questions from media, and the event was watched live by over about 25,000 people. In case you were sleeping (time difference, we understand), you can still watch it here.
#Energy: Japanese government spokesman Yukio Edano said that the “pursuit of solar power, bio-energy and other clean energy sources will be a key pillar of the government’s reconstruction strategy” in areas hit by the massive quake and tsunami. He suggested that all reactors at Fukushima Daiichi be “scrapped”. Greenpeace Japan climate and energy campaigner Hisayo Takada spoke at the briefing, stating that, “Greenpeace welcomes the government’s decision to choose a clean energy future for Japan, however, if Japan wants to avoid another Fukushima crisis, it should also immediately drop plans to build nine reactors by 2020, and instead focus investment on energy efficiency and the harnessing safe and secure renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaic.”
#Climate: A UN report claims that urban areas will become the “battleground” in efforts to stop climate change. UN-Habitat states that cities are responsible for about 70% of emissions, yet only occupy 2% of the planet's land cover.
#Nuclear: A coalition of opponents to nuclear power came together for talks near the nuclear waste deposit site of Gorleben in Germany, to start a new national debate on nuclear waste. Mathais Edler from Greenpeace was quoted as saying: “Safe disposal will never exist.”
#Greenpeace: House for Sale! The house “where Greenpeace was born” has been put up for sale in Vancouver’s Point Grey neighborhood. The house was owned by Dorothy and Irving Stowe, where “the city’s anti-establishment gathered - rebels and hippies, Quakers and Buddhists, draft dodgers and peace mongers, radical journalists and rainbow warriors. They came to save the planet, as well as to sample Dorothy’s cooking.” Over the years, ecologists and musicians made pilgrimages to the house (including U2’s Bono!). How about making it a historical site? Just putting it out there…
That's it for today's update!
If you've got any good environmental news or actions that you'd like us to highlight, please let us know in the comments below.