We think, at this point in history, the human species has learnt that nuclear waste isn’t something to be fucked with. Ideally, we could just launch it into space where it could never come into contact with people again; unfortunately, the next closest thing is to just bury it in Australia.
Some people – like Greenpeace Australia – don’t think this plan of action is exactly ideal.
Following reports that “a dustbin ship” was being used to carry the stuff to our shores all the way from France, the activist group responded, with Head of Program Emma Gibson calling the shipment “an environmental disaster waiting to happen.”
The group also claim the BBC Shanghai was blacklisted by the America’s Homeland Security and Coast Guard after they decided the ship wasn’t worthy, and are asking the Border Force to intervene.
Nuclear waste ship leaves France for Australia: http://t.co/Wqp0QiImAE pic.twitter.com/Yo0z3ysANI
— Yahoo7 Finance (@Y7Finance) October 16, 2015
“The last official inspection in August this year showed problems with shipboard operations and emergency preparedness. This is not the sort of ship that should be allowed to carry radioactive waste or anything hazardous, for that matter,” Gibson said.
The ship’s operator Areva claim that the ship is in tip-top shape and is totally capable of not irradiating huge swaths of Australian coastline, which is just as well – if the environmental group doesn’t have its way, the shipment is set to reach our shores late next month.
Up and atom.
