By Theodora Filis About 20 million consignments of radioactive material, which may be either a single package or a number of packages sent from one location to another at the same time, take place around the world each year. Radioactive material is not unique to the nuclear fuel cycle and only about 5% of the consignments are fuel cycle related. Radioactive materials are used extensively in medicine, agriculture, research, manufacturing, non-destructive testing, and mineral exploration. Nuclear energy has been unpopular in Germany since the fallout from the 1986 Chornobyl disaster in Ukraine drifted over the country. The annual shipment from France has been a traditional focal point for protesters. Traders told Reuters in April, that Germany temporarily shut down seven nuclear reactors in response to Fukushima. Both Germany and the US have experienced large and effective anti-nuclear power movements. In the late 1970s German activists regularly traveled to places like Seabrook, New
It is imperative we all pay attention to the impact of our collective and personal actions on the environment. During the next decade, our global community will be unable to deal effectively with the formidable environmental challenges posed by decades of environmental mismanagement. There are many environmental issues I write about in this blog, some will scare you, and it is my hope, these articles will give you a reason to question and search for answers.