Chornobyl challenge still actual!

European Greens strongly criticize the Report “The Heritage of Chernobyl: medical, ecological and social and economic consequences” initiated and financially supported by IAEA and has been presented to world community September 2005 in Vienna.

 Greens can not share the opinion that the consequences of Chernobyl accident have been exaggerated, that not radiation, but lack of information, unreasonable fears and wrong implementation of resettlement program are accounted for major health problems. According the Report, mortality from radiation cancer will be not significantly different amid the deaths caused by other reasons, residents of Chernobyl area were mainly affected not with radiation, but with negative social circumstances character for former Soviet Union.  It is even checked in Report that radiation situation is better there than it is in resorts areas, that support of Chornobyl sufferers is causing a welfare mentality and forming the psychology of victims.

 According mentioned above, the Report performs reasonability of significant reduction of the Chernobyl victims’ supportive programmes.

 Europeans Greens can not consider such conclusions as result of deep, honest and objective scientifically analyses, but rather as attempt to abolish nuclear industries of responsibility for the biggest technogenic disaster consequences, push forward restoration of NPP construction programs, forget Chornobyl as heavy argument for search of sustainable alternatives in energy sphere.

Conclusions of the IAEA experts are build on the methods of radiation risks estimation developed by the nuclear industry itself. The report evidently ignores or tendentiously interprets the data of the research of scientists from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Mostly the works of western specialists sometimes not insufficiently familiar with real situation were taken into account. It dissembles the data on the impact of Chornobyl to the countries beyond former USSR borders.

  The menace of genetic consequences remains actual for dozens of generations, keeps us from forgetting about this disaster. We must be prepared for massive radiogenic cancer after 20 years of latent period. We must concern about life-long medical care for those irradiated in utero, whose mental development is damaged. There is a need to concentrate international efforts on the development of new capable methods of individual biodozimetry (evaluation of radioactive influence on living creatures) to provide qualified, targeted and efficient help.

   Cynical irresponsibility of nuclear lobby must not rule with human developments. Sustainable energy supply is part of sustainable future of the world. We, European Greens, here in Kyiv, 130 kilometers from the Chornobyl NPP and 20 years after the catastrophe, confirms herewith  our willingness to prevent nuclear scenario further implementation and apply to European governments to unite their resources and capacities to support Chernobyl victims in different countries, protect Europeans from the new possible disasters by the construction of new “Shelter” over 4th Chornobyl NPP unit.   

 European Greens protest IAEA attempts to falsify data on Chornobyl effects, and also attempt to set up international nuclear waste storage in Russia.