Yo, let’s talk about why building nuclear reactors is a total no-go. First off, the cost is sky-high compared to investing in more legit sustainable energy. Then there’s the whole radioactive waste issue, and we still don’t have a solution for the existing waste, let alone for producing more. And let’s not forget the potential for attack – if wind turbines were attacked, it’d be a headache, but if a nuclear reactor were sabotaged, it’d be like a nuclear bomb going off. And if there’s a breakdown at a plant, it’s a disaster – just look at Chernobyl and Fukushima, those effects are still lingering.
In the UK, a bunch of nuclear reactors are chilling on the coast, and there’s this proposed Sizewell C on the east coast. With global warming, the sea level’s gonna rise, and there’s a risk of tidal surges that could threaten these reactors. But here’s something that never gets mentioned – the fuel used is uranium, and it’s gonna be in the future. And guess where it’s mainly mined? On the lands of indigenous people across the world. We’re talking about the First Nations in Canada, the Navajo in the southern US, the indigenous folks of Australia, Namibia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC), Niger, Greenland, and Kazakhstan. The miners and their families have been suffering for years from mining this dangerous radioactive mineral in terrible conditions, leading to illness and early death.
The people of Niger are fed up, and for good reason. France has been relying on uranium from Niger for over 50 years for its energy security, but the miners and their families have been dealing with dangerous working conditions, poor health, and historically low pay. And it’s not just Niger – the situation in the DRC is just as grim. The uranium from the Shinkolobwe mine in the DRC was sold to the US for the Manhattan Project, and the conditions for the miners were beyond brutal. They were paid peanuts, worked in perilous conditions, and suffered from radon exposure, causing lung diseases. The impact on their health and land is devastating, and it’s a similar story in other parts of the world.
But there’s hope in some places – like in Greenland, where a ban on uranium came into force after the Inuit government’s successful election campaign. And in the UK, there’s no significant amount of uranium to be found, so it has to be imported from Canada and Namibia. But here’s the kicker – the supporters of nuclear power seem to turn a blind eye to the suffering of the miners and their families, as well as the devastation done to their land. It’s like they don’t care about the shameful history of uranium mining, which will continue if new reactors are built. It’s basically nuclear colonialism.
Reports have shown that there’s no need for nuclear power; 100% genuine renewables can provide enough energy for Britain. So, supporters of nuclear power need to seriously rethink their positions. Workers in Britain should stand in solidarity with their mining comrades across the world. It’s time to wake up and smell the uranium, folks.
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