TAGUIG, Philippines (March 11, 2022) \u2013 Greenpeace activists today delivered \u2018radioactive waste\u2019 barrels to the \u201cDepartment of Dangerous and Dirty Energy\u201d, the government agency formerly known as the Department of Energy (DOE). Greenpeace Philippines is demanding that the DOE stop acting like a loyal minion of the nuclear industry, and instead serve the Filipino people by giving them energy security through clean and safe renewable energy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe DOE is the #1 cheerleader for the nuclear industry in the Philippines, so it\u2019s only apt that we have renamed it for what it really is: a dangerous peddler of foreign nuclear energy interests disguised as a Philippine government agency,\u201d Greenpeace Campaigner Khevin Yu said. \u201cIt\u2019s abhorrent how Secretary Cusi, and his principal, President Duterte, have relentlessly pursued nuclear deals even up to their last few months in power when they could have doubled their efforts to ensure renewable energy gets a better foothold in the country\u2019s future energy direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cAs it is, the DOE\u2019s questionable energy policy is potentially going to leave Filipinos a colossal financial burden, aside from more white elephants from an obsolete technology marketed by an industry that\u2019s already in decline. This is the last thing we need now when we\u2019re already facing a record-high debt of PHP 12 trillion and skyrocketing prices of imported fuel,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n
The peaceful protest action took place during the anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, which killed at least 20,000 people, forced the evacuation of half a million more, contaminated 240,000 square kilometers of land, and damaged around USD 235 billion (~PHP 12 trillion) worth of property and infrastructure[1]. The plant\u2019s accident clean up costs have been estimated at JPY 35-80 trillion (~PHP 16-36 trillion) over 40 years[2], and its decommissioning is estimated to cost at least JPY 8 trillion[3] (~PHP 3.6 trillion). In total, these costs dwarf the total budget of the Philippine government for 2022, at PHP 5 trillion.<\/p>\n\n
Greenpeace also maintains that nuclear power will not solve the climate crisis. The entire nuclear power plant life cycle contributes significantly to climate change, and these facilities take an average of 10 years to build. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has earlier warned that humanity has only until 2030 to keep global temperature rise within 1.5C. Setting up the country\u2019s nuclear program and building a plant will take decades. Meanwhile, Filipinos will continue to suffer from climate impacts.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThe government\u2019s nuclear delusions are going to cost Filipinos not just money, but also their lives, health, livelihoods, and their future. The DOE should stop peddling nuclear power and President Duterte should revoke EO 164,\u201d said Yu. \u201cThe next president of the Philippines should do better and avoid placing this unacceptable burden on the Filipino people. For the next administration, the first order of business must be to strike out the so-called nuclear option from all energy plans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Notes:<\/p>\n\n
The environmental organization has earlier called on President Rodrigo Duterte to revoke the executive order. It also calls on the DOE to:<\/p>\n\n
Greenpeace also calls on presidential candidates to scrap all plans to include dirty and dangerous energy sources, such as nuclear, waste-to-energy, and coal, to the country\u2019s energy mix if elected.<\/p>\n\n
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[1]East Asia Forum<\/a><\/p>\n\n [2]Japan Center for Economic Research<\/a><\/p>\n\n [3]https:\/\/www.nippon.com\/en\/news\/yjj2021030600388\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n