Gorbachev on the Chernobyl Disaster 25 Years After

In the Special Issue on Chernobyl of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (March/April 2011), former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev (80), writes:

"The true scope of the tragedy still remains beyond comprehension and is a shocking reminder of the reality of the nuclear threat ... As the global population continues to expand, and the demand for energy production grows, we must invest in alternative and more sustainable sources of energy -- wind, solar, geothermal, hydro -- and widespread conservation and energy efficiency initiatives" ... "While the Chernobyl disaster was accidental, caused by faulty technology and human error, today's disaster could very well be intentional"

A Reconstruction of the Radiaoctive Plume

This is a reconstruction of the Chernobyl radioactive plume by the French Government's official agency on radiation and nuclear matters, the Institut de Radioprotection et Sureté Nucléaire. Source: http://zerodegreeburn.com/chernobyl/

The reconstruction is based on weather patterns for the time period April 26 to May 6 when the fire was burning inside the stricken reactor, and on known Cs-137 measurements.

It is a remarkably graphic illustration of the huge extent of the radioactive contamination of East and West Europe (and eventually the rest of the Northern Hemisphere) by the Chernobyl catastrophe. Link to source with video.

The Chernobyl-25 memorial event

The following quotes a letter from Bellona's office in St Petersburg, Russia about The Chernobyl-25 memorial event. The Bellona Foundation (http://bellona.org/) is an international environmental rights organization that has offices in Oslo, Norway; St. Petersburg and Murmansk, Russia; Brussels, Belgium and Washington, USA.  The Chernobyl-25 memorial event is coordinated byBellona's office in St. Petersburg.'' The letter reached us via the Gordon Edwards of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility and Ulla Kloetzer from Women Against Nuclear Power , Finland:

The year 2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the day that affected the lives of millions of people around the world.

On April 26, 1986 the Chernobyl disaster occurred.

We want people to remember once again the immense danger associated with nuclear power plants. We want all the people in the world to remember the Chernobyl disaster.   Unfortunately, many people have not even heard about this striking example of the dangers inherent in nuclear energy.

We invite you to join the international event "Chernobyl-25". We urge people around the world to remember the Chernobyl disaster on its 25th anniversary.

What is it about?

First of all, we are looking for partners in the cities, which are located near nuclear power plants all over the world:

http://www.bellona.ru/filearchive/fil_List_of_worlds_nuclear_power_plants.pdf

We suggest that at the time the explosion happened at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (April 26, 01.23,47 Moscow time, time zone UTC +03.00) you light 25 candles on one of the squares of your city in memory of the event. 

You can check your time zone and the difference in time zones at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_zone.

Depending on your wishes and the country in which the event will be held you may adjust the scheduling.

What do you need to do to join the international event "Chernobyl-25"?

1.  Inform us of your desire to hold an event in your city by email        (chernobyl-25atbellona.ru).

2. Send a press release to local and national media so that as many people as possible can be informed about this event.

3. Organize the event on April 26,

We understand that many NGOs work in countries with nondemocratic regimes. Therefore, we ask that you observe country's laws regarding public functions. If your organization can't participate in the memorial event but you know of another one that might, please feel free to pass this message along.

Remember to check out our Facebook page Chernobyl 25!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chernobyl-25/169839423040473