By Fariba Parsa
US-Iran negotiations on nuclear energy are only centered on the military issues. Environmental organizations could share their knowledge and research about nuclear energy because the Iranian nuclear program is more than military issues. It is about the security of millions of Iranians and the life on the Earth. Here below I explain for 5 reasons why the nuclear program in Iran should be stopped from health, environmental and economic point of views:
1. Nuclear power is outdated technology
The Iranian state seeks to sell the idea that nuclear power is the most advanced technological development a country can get access. The Iranian state claims that one of the vital propose for nuclear energy is producing electricity. Nuclear energy is outdated; Several alternatives technologies more advanced, more effective, with less cost with no risk for ecological and people’ health are already in the market.
Sweden has more than half a century experiences using new clear energy to produce electricity however they have closed their nuclear power plant for more than one decade. Already in 1960s in Denmark and Sweden a campaign began against nuclear energy.
In 1970s scientists argued why they should develop alternative technologies. Since 1990s we were witnessed in both Denmark and in Sweden the technology of natural sources such as sun , wind , and earth energy are under huge development and use. Denmark has been successful with wind energy since the wind mill industry has created thousands of jobs and income for the country. Today at the universities use of wave-energy is under developing.
Iranian people do not get information about the other European experiences and concerns. The Iranian officials are claiming that the reason Western countries act against Iran’s nuclear program is that they do not like to see Iran is developing in the advanced technology!
2. Radioactive waste from nuclear power cannot be kept anywhere on the earth
Radioactive waste from nuclear power plants must be kept for a hundred thousand years. Despite 50 years of effort, we could not find just one place in the world, which is suitable for final disposal of high level waste. A highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel still accumulates up in unacceptable intermediate storage. During years 1985 to 2000 the amount of waste increased from 41,000 tons to 193.000 tons according to information from the Danish campaign against nuclear energy. Where does the Iranian state consider to keep the radioactive waste from nuclear energy?
3. Nuclear Power can lead to death and sickness of thousands of people for diverse kinds of allergy and cancer
Nuclear power is inherently dangerous and there is no safety or guaranty that the nuclear waste will not go into environment contaminating water supplies and the food chain. Uranium mining creates polluting. Uranium is extracted from uranium ore. By mining released radioactive gas , radon of this gas has caused many miners died of lung cancer. Mining accumulate huge mounds of waste that is weakly radioactive . In windy and dry weather, dust generated from far and wide. Rivers, forests and fields are affected to be poisoned. The radioactive contamination threatens animal and human health and the future of our life.
Nuclear power is not only the reactors themselves, but a whole chain of complicated part – nuclear power so called fuel cycle – each link in the chain has its risks, and various forms of radiation leak. All links in the chain are needed to produce fuel for nuclear power plants plutonium. Nuclear power is not the clean energy
4. Nuclear power has high risks for disastrous accidents
A major accident at a nuclear power plant may partly lead to you die of radiation sickness – partly to many thousands later get cancer. In addition, vast areas become contaminated with radioactivity. Radioactive contaminated areas uninhabitable for many, many years. And you do not know how to clean them. The Chernobyl accident demonstrated how wrong things can go. Scientists agree that another catastrophe on the scale of Chernobyl could happen anytime and anywhere. There is not a single word about danger of accident of the nuclear power in the official Iranian media.
5. Nuclear power is too expensive
The nuclear industry is hugely expensive. The construction and generating costs of nuclear power are greater than all energy efficiency technologies. Iran’s controversial nuclear program has cost the country $170 billion, mostly due to economic sanctions. Of the $170 billion price tag, $40 billion were “invested over the past 20 years in the construction and operation of nuclear infrastructure,” according to The Washington Free beacon, November 12, 2013. A total drop of nuclear program in Iran will bring the country out the International sanctions and isolation. It would also safe the billions of dollars for the further use of nuclear energy.
The problem of nuclear energy is that there are so many problems with it. The health and safety problem and the cost are only some of the serious problems. Indeed , these problems will not be reduced for the Iranian people through time. It is the opposite. Why Iranian should wait and pay a huge prize for the next 50 years to find out the problem of nuclear energy. The Iranian state’s nuclear project should be stopped, forest and foremost for the interest of Iranian people and for the life on the Earth.
