Ferguson – Fukushima – Financial Crisis via Counterpunch

By Peter Linebaugh

In Ferguson Michael Brown a young man, age eighteen, was shot eight times while he walked down the middle of the street. That is indubitable. Here’s a spin on it. The earth, including the street, is “the common treasury of mankind” as the Diggers and Gerrard Winstanley said in 1649. As a moment in the sun Michael Brown walked down the middle of the street in youthful glory.

Whose streets? Our streets.

Michael Brown wore a cap; it was red. That is true and backed up by evidence available to all. Here’s a spin on that. Since Roman times the red cap has been the cap of liberty, the sign of the manumitted slave. You see the cap on the first coinage of the USA. It was the cap of liberté, égalité, and fraternité during the French Revolution. It is on the Haitian flag.

I do not say that Michael Brown was a Jacobin revolutionary or a Digger of the commons. Those are interpretations of the significance of his assassination. I read them as signs of the times.

I thought of Ferguson and Fukushima and the Financial Crisis as several big branches of the capitalist system but it’s hard to see how they are connected. That’s why we call it a system. There is a big suck from Ferguson to Fukushima to Wall Street. The “convenience store” is but a tiny particle in that suck of “the fruits of earth” from the Ninety-Nine to the One Per Cent. As an historian I find that it’s sometimes easier to understand the mutual re-inforcements of disparate elements in rendering
stopthiefprofit, interest, rent to the great possessioners or the One Per Cent by returning to the origins of those elements.

The structures of racial slavery (Ferguson), the steam engine (Fukushima), and the enclosures (Financial Crisis) did not actually originate in 1802 but that is one of the years when people tried to put a stop to them.

Read more.

Posted in *English | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Ferguson – Fukushima – Financial Crisis via Counterpunch

Radio 4 report on nuclear power (Friends of the Earth Press Release)

In response to a news report on the Today programme on 10th September 2014 that stated that Friends of the Earth had changed its position on nuclear power, Executive Director Andy Atkins said:

“Friends of the Earth has not changed its position on nuclear power. We remain firmly opposed to it and continue to strongly promote a transition to an energy system based on energy efficiency and our abundant resource of renewable energy, which is getting cheaper to exploit by the day.

“We have always been an evidence-based organisation and we commission independent reports to ensure our policy positions are robust, and we will continue to do so in the future.

“Our review showed that the non-nuclear energy pathway we support is credible and therefore we have not changed our position of opposing new nuclear plants.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. Friends of the Earth’s briefing ‘Why Friends of the Earth opposes plans for new nuclear reactors’ is available by clicking here.

2. Friends of the Earth’s Head of Policy, Research and Science, Mike Childs blogged about the review of evidence carried out last year and the conclusion that Friends of the Earth remains opposed to nuclear, here.

For press release site, see here.
For Guardian’s reporting, see here and here.

Posted in *English | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Radio 4 report on nuclear power (Friends of the Earth Press Release)

Friends of the Earth’s shift on nuclear should be celebrated, not denied via The Guardian

The green group’s opposition is now less ideological and more functional, and that’s a sign of maturity

Nuclear power in the UK has turned out much safer than environmentalists worried it would be.

Friends of the Earth, which feared the threat of a catastrophic Chernobyl-style meltdown in the UK, is now less concerned. Fear of nuclear armageddon was a driving force for the green movement in the UK – Greenpeace has its name for a reason.

But Friends of the Earth have revealed that their old ideological opposition to nuclear has crumbled, to be replaced by a new pragmatic opposition based on cost and build time.

In the old days nuclear was fought because of the health threat; now it’s opposed because it’s the wrong option in an energy system designed to tackle climate change.

The group denies that its position has shifted – but to me this looks a huge and significant shift – and especially controversial if you work for the UK nuclear industry and have been told for decades that your operations are a clear and present danger to the public.

[…]

The presenter Justin Rowlatt interrupted, sounding surprised: “You’re not worried about the risks from radiation?”

Bennett replied:

Of course, there are real concerns about radiation, particularly around nuclear waste… but I think it is important how this debate has shifted down the years.

The real concern now is how we get on fast with de-carbonising our electricity supply. It’s very clear that nuclear can’t deliver big changes fast.

That’s a huge risk if we’re trying to tackle climate change. With renewable technologies and with energy efficiency we could be making a difference within three or four years.

So, presented with a free hit against the risk of a nuclear accident, Friends of the Earth’s green warrior swiped at build-time, cost and grid disruption. Further prompted on safety he swiftly shifted to the intractable problem of waste, and did not mention accidents at all.

Does that mean if nuclear stations were cheap and quick to build and we could bury the waste somewhere, nuclear would become respectable? Well, the group told me later they were just as concerned about accidents as ever – but the cat was out of the green bag.

Read more at Friends of the Earth’s shift on nuclear should be celebrated, not denied

See earlier Guardian article, “Friends of the Earth denies dropping nuclear opposition“

Posted in *English | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

始まった「福島一揆」――東日本大震災から3年半 – 吉野源太郎 via Blogos

(抜粋)

3年半前、大震災直後の現場を取材しようと、原発のある福島浜通りを車で北上した時のことを思い出した。誰にも出会わない夜道の恐ろしさは、あのと きとそっくりだ。当時足を延ばした宮城から岩手にかけての道は、津波で運ばれてきた瓦礫で埋め尽くされ、これもすさまじい光景だったが、これら三陸地方で は今は高台移転や漁業の復興など次第に明るい話題も伝えられている。だが、福島では、被災の傷跡はむしろ拡大しているように見えた。

瓦礫の代わりに除染作業で出た泥や草木が、ビニール袋のような巨大な特殊容器に詰め込まれて、無人の街の道路脇に延々と並んでいる。「福島の復興なくして日本の復興なし」と叫んだ安倍晋三首相の言葉がいかに空しいか、現地を見れば説明の必要はない。

(略)

驚くべきは申立人である住民の数だ。浪江の場合は全町民の73%にのぼる1万5313人(申し立て後 、避難生活の中で死亡した住民も170人以上いる)。飯舘村は9月6日に申し立ての受付を始めたばかりだが、週末6、7の両日だけで既に約6000人の住 民の半数を超える3100人に達するという。

浪江の申し立ては、国の原子力損害賠償紛争審査会(原倍審)が決めた指針で事故半年後にいったん1人月額10万円とされた慰謝料を、これに加え 25万円を支払うこと(2012年3月-14年2月)などを求めたものである。避難生活の長期化と今後の生活再建の見通しが困難なことがその理由だ。

ADRセンターは今年3月、その趣旨を認めて増額分を1人5万円とする和解案を示した。浪江側は今年5月、これを受諾したが、東電は増額を1人2万円とする「事実上の拒否回答」(馬場有浪江町長)を行い、今度はADRが東電に今月25日を期限に再回答を求めている。

一方、飯舘関係の申し立ては、「初期被曝の慰謝料・避難の長期化への慰謝料延長と増額・不動産賠償の増額」等を求めるもの。どちらの町村も、被災 者が長期間、避難生活を強いられ、その生活環境は改善どころか悪化しているという過酷な現実の中で、現在の不安だけでなく、将来の生活設計ができない、そ れなのに原倍審の指針はこうした現実に対処するのにきわめて不十分だ、という被災者の不満が噴出したものである。

「一揆」主導者の深い悩み

寡黙で忍耐強い福島の農村地帯の住民たち。元来、お上(かみ)にたてつくことは好まず、原発事故という理不尽このうえない仕打ちにあったというの に、下を向いたまま耐えてきた人々が、とうとう声を上げたのである。それは、日頃穏やかな彼らの性格を考えると、心の中の抑えきれない激しい怒りの表現で あり、静かで緩慢ではあっても、浜通りの「一揆」と言っても過言ではないように思える。

飯舘村でADR申し立てを主導した長谷川健一さん(60)は、申し立てを言い出した時の心境をこう語る。

「今まで黙って暮らしてきたのだから、このまま黙っていたかった。もう我慢できねえと踏ん切りをつけるのに、どれだけ悩んだか」

「一揆」の首謀者にしても悩みは深かったのだ。年老いた親や親戚、部落の人々に気兼ねをして暮らしてきた住民はすべて、「蜂起」にあたってもだえ苦しんだようだ。

福島は3年半前もやはり過疎地だった。今、政府は、景気回復政策の柱に「地方創生」を掲げる。そして一見、福島の復興にとって追い風のように聞こ えるこの政策が、実態 は全く逆に、これまで福島の復興を阻み、これからも福島住民の希望を奪っていくことが見えている。福島の住民はそれを見てしまったのだろう。

絵空事になった「美しい村」

「政府が打ち出す公共事業のラッシュで、人手が集まらないんです」。今も全村避難を強いられている飯舘村の門馬伸市副村長はうめくように言う。

(略)

福島被災地の住民が、心の中で切実に望んできたのは、ふるさとの町や村への帰還である。明日のふるさとを約束するには、子どもたちが安心して住める 環境がなければならない。それにはなおのこと徹底した除染が必須である。放射能汚染をそのままにしていては、田や畑はもとより、学校も保育所も使えない。 山深い飯舘村の環境は、それを分かりやすく教えたのである。

本音は「財政支出の抑制」

しかし、徹底した除染とは果たして実行可能なのか。家々や学校の屋根を葺き替える。場合によっては土台から建て替える。山林の伐採も必要になるだろう。田や畑の土は掘り起こして、はぎ取らねばならない。養分を含んだ土がなくなって作物はできるのか、といった問題もある。

仮にそのすべてが実行可能だとしても、それらには天文学的な費用がかかるだろう。それは誰が負担するのか。ここまできて、福島の復興を阻んでいるのは単なる人手不足ではなく、復興費用の財政負担であることが誰の目にも明らかになる。

政府にとっては適当な除染で「帰還」が可能であるかのように住民が思ってくれている状態が最もありがたい。住めないと分かって集落を丸ごと移転させることになれば、さらに金がかかる。要は、政府にとっての復興政策の原則は、財政支出の抑制なのである。

全文は始まった「福島一揆」――東日本大震災から3年半 – 吉野源太郎

Posted in *日本語 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on 始まった「福島一揆」――東日本大震災から3年半 – 吉野源太郎 via Blogos

「菅元首相の対応、論評する立場にない」 当時官房長官の民主・枝野幸男氏 via msn産経ニュース

東京電力福島第1原発事故に関する政府の事故調査・検証委員会による吉田昌郎元所長ら当時の関係者の調書公開を受け、事故当時の官房長官だった民主党の枝野幸男衆院議員が11日、国会内で行った記者団との主なやり取りは次の通り。

--吉田調書が公表されたことについてどう考えるか

「事故の検証を国民的な視点でやっていただく上で、こうした情報公開がなされたことは大変喜ばしい。ただ、私自身の調書についても、私が求めた何倍もの黒塗りが政府によってなされている。さらに情報公開が進むことを期待している」

--吉田調書について朝日新聞が「9割が吉田さんの命令に反して撤退した」と報道していたことについては

「私自身が吉田調書をまだ読んでいないので答えようがない」

(略)

--非公開となった黒塗りの部分の多さは想像以上だったのか

「全く想像を超えていた。すでに講演とかその他でしゃべっている話がほ とんどで、中二階にテレビがあったことが、なんで黒塗りされなければいけないのだろう。さっぱり意味が分からない。役所が自然体で情報公開について考える とこういうことになるのかなあと思う。想像以上に政府による黒塗りがなされていたことに大変がくぜんとした。特に実質的な秘密と思えないことがたくさん塗 られている」

--黒塗りの部分について政府に対し公開を求める考えは

「ほかも必要以上に黒塗りされているという可能性については、もっと公開すべきだということについては、何らかの形で求めていきたいと思う」

全文は「菅元首相の対応、論評する立場にない」 当時官房長官の民主・枝野幸男氏

Posted in *日本語 | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

原子力科学研に男性が一時侵入、警備員気付かず via Yomiuri Online

 日本原子力研究開発機構は12日、原子力科学研究所(茨城県)で今年2月、70歳代の男性が運転した乗用車が無許可で敷地内に約1時間にわたって侵入していたと発表した。

 乗用車は正門から侵入したが、正門にいた警備員は気付いていなかった。立ち入り制限区域への出入り管理などに問題があるため、原子力規制委員会は同日、原子炉等規制法に基づく核物質防護規定の順守義務違反だとして、同機構を厳重注意した。

続きは原子力科学研に男性が一時侵入、警備員気付かず

Posted in *日本語 | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on 原子力科学研に男性が一時侵入、警備員気付かず via Yomiuri Online

原発関連死、1100人超す 福島、半年で70人増 via 東京新聞

東日本大震災から十一日で三年半。東京電力福島第一原発事故に伴う避難で体調が悪化し死亡した事例などを、本紙が独自に「原発関連死」と定義し、福島県内の市町村に該当数を取材したところ、今年三月の調査から半年間で七十人増えたことが分かった。事故後の合計は少なくとも千百十八人。原発再稼働に向けた動きが進むが、事故の被害は今もやんでいない。
 市町村は、災害の直接の犠牲者だけでなく、その後の避難中の死亡などについても「震災関連死」と認定する。本紙は震災関連死者のうち、原発事故で避難中だった人数などを調べ、原発関連死として集計したところ、福島県の十五市町村で該当者がいた。

[…]
福島県内の震災関連死者数は千七百五十八人(十日現在)で、宮城県や岩手県を大幅に上回っており、このうち原発関連死者は少なくとも六割に上る。 (鷲野史彦)

もっと読む。

Posted in *日本語 | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on 原発関連死、1100人超す 福島、半年で70人増 via 東京新聞

Massive Radiation Plume from Fukushima Heading Toward American West Coast According to a Scientific Report via Global Research

According to scientific modeling systems used by the European Union, the radioactive ocean plume released by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster is likely to remain a massive clump of radioactivity until it slams into the West Coast of the United States in late 2017.

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, knocking out power and cooling capability to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Within three days, multiple meltdowns and reactor explosions had taken place. By March 25, massive amounts of radioactive material were observed leaking directly into the Pacific Ocean.

In 2013, the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center in Norway used computer models to project the movement and dispersion of this radioactive plume. Although the results of this study have been cited in official Chinese government documents, they have not been widely publicized.
Levels to remain high through at least 2026

The researchers used two separate scenarios to model leakage of radioactivity from the Fukushima plant into the Pacific. The first scenario assumed continuous and constant leakage for 20 days, while the second assumed continuous and constant leakage for one year.

Although delivering differing estimates of total radiation, both models concluded that the pollution would remain in a relatively unified mass and take the same path across the ocean until crashing up against western North America. Both models show the plume colliding with the U.S. West Coast and beginning to spread out starting around late 2017, with a maximum concentration of radiation hitting the coast toward the end of 2018.

Following this collision, the plume is projected to disperse and spread north, south and west, with portions of it eventually crashing back into East Asia sometime between 2021 and 2026. Throughout this entire time period, however, the area of greatest radioactivity concentration will remain positioned along North America’s West Coast.

The researchers noted that the model does have certain limits, namely its failure to account for ocean ecology (which may alter the flow of radioactive material) and atmospheric fallout (which may increase the concentration of radioactive material in additional regions to those predicted by the model).

Read more.

Posted in *English | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fukushima plant chief rapped gov’t for not sharing sense of crisis via Kyodo News International (Global Post)

The late chief of the disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant criticized politicians in his testimony, saying they completely failed to grasp the dire situation that workers faced at the height of the crisis, and that they only brought about further confusion, according to documents disclosed by the government Thursday.

In his testimony, Masao Yoshida, who led efforts to stabilize the Fukushima plant after it was struck by a huge earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, recalled when workers tried to carry out an emergency release of radioactive steam from the No. 1 reactor to avoid a rupture of its containers caused by rising pressure — an operation called venting.

In the early hours of March 12, 2011, Yoshida and his workers, despite being hampered by high levels of radiation at the complex, were already trying to implement the operation manually after the plant suffered a blackout, when then industry minister Banri Kaieda — unaware of what was going on — issued an order at 6:50 a.m. to carry out the venting.

Yoshida said he felt like the office of then Prime Minister Naoto Kan was “the farthest away” from where he was. “Basically, they thought the vents (from where radioactive steam is released) would open as soon as the minister ordered. It doesn’t work like that,” he said.

He also recalled that senior government officials, and Kan himself, called him directly numerous times to ask “pretty entry-level questions” when he was “very busy” in dealing with the catastrophic situation at the plant.

The former plant chief’s 400-page testimony also highlighted the poor corporate governance of Tokyo Electric Power Co., the operator of the crippled plant, which brought about further mess.

The documents showed senior officials at TEPCO headquarters in Tokyo put more priority on the opinion of the prime minister’s office, rather than trying to understand the difficult situation at the plant and support Yoshida.

“At that point, they were like, ‘do it (venting) now, do it now’…there was a clear gap” over the perception of how serious the situation was between his team and the TEPCO headquarters, he told a government panel that was examining the Fukushima meltdowns.

Read more.

Posted in *English | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Fukushima plant chief rapped gov’t for not sharing sense of crisis via Kyodo News International (Global Post)

International Symposium in Fukushima Comes Up with Recommendations to Government via CNW

TOKYO, Sept. 11, 2014 /CNW/ – The Nippon Foundation held an International Expert Symposium on September 8 and 9, 2014, in Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture, on the theme “Beyond Radiation and Health Risk – Toward Resilience and Recovery,” putting together a group of international and Japanese experts to examine the effects of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident on the health of local residents and to discuss recovery measures in the future.

Fukushima Medical University, which has conducted the Fukushima Health Management Survey, and international organizations present at the Symposium, including World Health Organization (WHO), agreed that no direct health effect from radiation has been seen. At the same time, they recognized the fact that local residents still suffer from lingering anxieties about radiation and, as a result of prolonged life in evacuation, that some suffer from secondary health and mental effects including obesity and depression.

The Symposium was co-organized by Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation and Fukushima Medical University with the cooperation of Nagasaki University. Experts from four international organizations – the WHO, the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) – participated as panelists.

The Nippon Foundation Chairman Yohei Sasakawa said in an opening speech, “through scientific discussions on the current state of Fukushima from multiple angles, we hope to identify measures that can strengthen the resilience and recovery of Fukushima.”

Read more.

Posted in *English | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment