Chornobyl is one of the most recognised synonyms for disaster in the world. Its legacy is a universal reminder of the horrific consequences of nuclear power when things goes wrong: on this day in 1986, a test procedure produced explosions at the power plant in Pripyat, Ukraine, causing a chain reaction that blew a colossal release of radioactive contamination across Europe and eventually much of the Northern Hemisphere.   Millions of Ukrainians have been affected by the destruction of reactor unit 4 and the radiation it released into the environment, either directly or through their ..read more

“Barbenheimer” is probably the film event of the year. The simultaneous premieres of two Hollywood blockbusters by two cult directors: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, a pink fantasy comedy and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a sombre and psychedelic drama.  The juxtaposition of atmosphere, characters and issues unleashed lively debates in the press and on social media, ranging from hilarious memes to existential questions. For the Greenpeace community, these two films echo past and present campaigns against very real existential threats: deforestation, plastic pollution and nuclear annihilation ..read more

70 years ago, on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, a thermonuclear weapon with codename Castle Bravo, exploded with an energy of 15 megatons. The mushroom cloud reached 40 kilometres into the atmosphere, resulting in thousands of square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean being contaminated by radioactivity. Its explosive yield was 1000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb; and within 4 hours of the explosion, radioactive fallout made up of crushed coral, water, and radioactive particles, rained down over inhabited atolls, including Rongelap Atoll that is 150 kilometres away. A fine whi ..read more

Legacy of Fukushima disaster shows nuclear energy is no solution to energy and climate crisis. Sapporo, Japan – The nations of the G7 have chosen politics over science and the protection of the marine environment with their decision today to support the Japanese government’s plans to discharge Fukushima radioactive waste water into the Pacific Ocean.  The 1.3 million cubic meters/tons of radioactive waste water at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, currently in tanks, is scheduled to be discharged into the Pacific Ocean this year. Nations in the Asia Pacific region, led by the Pacific Island Fo ..read more

Tokyo – Greenpeace Japan criticises the Japanese government’s announcement of the start date for radioactive water discharges from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station into the Pacific Ocean. The decision disregards scientific evidence, violates the human rights of communities in Japan and the Pacific region, and is non-compliant with international maritime law. More importantly it ignores its people’s concerns, including fishermen. The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) – the nuclear power plants’ operators – falsely assert that there is no alternative to the decisi ..read more

This story was originally posted by Greenpeace Germany After decades of protests, the era of nuclear power in Germany has ended. Roland Hipp, Managing Director of Greenpeace Germany, looks back – and with joy into the future. Millions of people worked towards this day for years. People who protested against reprocessing plants, nuclear waste transport, unsafe nuclear waste storage facilities and the construction of new nuclear power plants. Those decades of resistance were worth it.  The German nuclear phase-out is a victory of reason over the lust for profit; over powerful cor ..read more

Bombing a home to pieces is not the path to a peaceful or green world. Yet right now, there are 3844 nuclear warheads deployed worldwide with missiles and aircraft. That’s ten nuclear warheads for every day of the year. Two thousand of these are ready for immediate launch and if that weren’t enough, an additional ten thousand are stacked high in military stockpiles waiting to be used. Most of today’s modern warheads are at least five times more powerful than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. My home town of Copenhagen is well within range of many of these missiles, like most other place ..read more

Tuesday 26 April marks the anniversary of one of the most significant events in the history of Ukraine and all of Europe. On that day in 1986, a routine safety test at reactor 4 of the Chornobyl (previously also known as Chernobyl) nuclear power plant resulted in an explosion and a nuclear chain reaction that obliterated the nuclear core and reactor site, causing a colossal release of radioactive contamination into the surrounding area.  The radioactive material, 400 times greater than the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, was airborne and generated a radioactive plume which spre ..read more

Tokyo, Japan – Today marks the 12th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, both of which inflicted immeasurable damage on Japan. In commemoration of this solemn occasion, Greenpeace Japan issued the following statement. Sam Annesley, Executive Director of Greenpeace Japan said:  “We would like to reiterate our heartfelt condolences to the people who lost their loved ones and express our deepest sympathies to all those affected. Over the last 12 years, owing to the concerted efforts of various stakeholders, the reconstruction of the disa ..read more

Kyiv, Ukraine – A Greenpeace Germany investigation team working with Ukrainian scientists at Chornobyl has found radiation levels in areas where Russian military operations occurred to be at least three times higher than the estimation by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).[1] In April 2022, the IAEA provided very limited data with assurances that radiation levels were “normal” and not a major environmental or public safety issue.[2]  The investigation team in Chornobyl also documented that Russian military actions against essential laboratories, databases and radiation monitor ..read more