EarthAction

Chernobyl: 27 Years Later

It's not just people, animals and trees that suffer from radiation at Chernobyl, but also decomposer fungi and microbes. And with the buildup of dead wood comes the risk of catastrophic fire - which could spread radiation far and wide. Nearly 30 years have passed since the Chernobyl plant exploded and caused an unprecedented nuclear disaster. The effects of that catastrophe, however, are still felt today.

Although no people live in the extensive exclusion zones around the epicenter, animals, trees and other plants still show signs of radiation poisoning. According to a new study published in Oecologia, decomposers - organisms such as microbes, fungi and some types of insects that drive the process of decay - have also suffered from the contamination. These creatures are responsible for an essential component of any ecosystem: recycling organic matter back into the soil. Issues with such a basic-level process, the authors of the study think, could have compounding effects for the entire ecosystem.

Moreover, trees in the infamous Red Forest - an area where all of the pine trees turned a reddish color and then died shortly after the accident - did not seem to be decaying, even 15 to 20 years after the meltdown.

"Apart from a few ants, the dead tree trunks were largely unscathed when we first encountered them", says Timothy Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and lead author of the study.

Wondering whether that seeming increase in dead leaves on the forest floor and those petrified-looking pine trees were indicative of something larger, Mousseau and his colleagues decided to run some field tests.

Article courtesy of ENN, Rachel Nuwer/Smithsonian. Read more at ENN affiliate, The Ecologist.

Image: Wikimedia Commons, Tiia Monto

Three Years after Fukushima: 100% Renewable Energy is Only a Matter of Political Will

Hamburg, 11^th March, 2014 - Three years after the Fukushima/Daiichi nuclear disaster, the Global100RE Ambassadors are highlighting the need to refrain from using hazardous nuclear and fossil energy sources and instead shift towards 100% renewable energy. Ambassadors of the Global 100% Renewable Energy Campaign Bill McKibben, David Suzuki, Hans-Josef Fell, Jeremy Leggett, and Ulrich Kelber call on policy makers around the world to take action as transitioning towards fossil-free societies is a matter of political will. If human beings are to preserve modernity and planetary habitability, we must soon shift to 100% renewable energy in all sectors.
 
The burning of fossil fuels is the main reason behind a 40% increase in CO2 concentrations since the industrial revolution (IPCC 2013). To avoid a further growth of greenhouse gas concentration, a stop of greenhouse gas emission is urgently necessary. Therefore a sustainable and efficient energy system is the prerequisite for achieving the internationally agreed upon climate protection target.
 
“Both present and future generations are relying on our acts right now to create a future transitionally less reliant on dirty energy,” says David Suzuki, scientist, broadcaster, author, and philanthropist. “Our dependence upon fossil resources has built a system that lacks diversity and security, threatens the health of our citizens, jeopardizes the stability of Earth's climate, and robs future generations of clean air, clean water, and energy independence.”
 
The good news is that solutions exist. From North America, to Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania communities, islands, cities and countries show that making the transition to 100% renewable energy is a political decision and an ethical imperative - the technical options do exist. The Ambassadors of the international campaign Global 100% Renewable Energy champion these success stories as encouragement and catalyst for change. “Cities and communities show that we can ramp up renewable energy dramatically and quickly. We need to carry this message around the planet fast," says Bill McKibben, renowned author, environmentalist and founder of 350.org.