a FiftyCrows short film directed by Andy Patrick

The Toxic Legacy of Nuclear Power

The radioactive byproducts of the Chernobyl plant explosion will remain in affected areas for some 48,000 years. An official exclusion zone around the plant remains in place, extending for 18 miles. It is one of the most dangerous regions on earth.
The Chernobyl accident demonstrated an often overlooked facet of the Nuclear Age: it is not only our warlike technologies that threaten humanity, our so-called “peaceful” technologies can also cause devastation to life and property.

"Inherently safe" nuclear power reactors are a myth. A devastating accident can occur in any nuclear reactor, causing the release of large quantities of deadly radioactive products into the environment. In addition, one of the biggest problems facing the nuclear industry is what to do with the radioactive waste generated in a nuclear reactor. Also, any nuclear power plant capable of producing energy has the capacity to breed weapons-grade materials for nuclear bombs.

See a Nuclear Energy Fact sheet

The causes of the Chernobyl accident have been described as a fateful combination of human error and imperfect technology. The blast occurred because of a flawed reactor design and inadequately trained personnel acting without proper regard for safety. Sadly, although Chernobyl is the largest civil nuclear disaster to date, it may not be the last. There are currently 440 nuclear reactors in 31 countries and there are dozens now under construction. Almost twenty years after the Chernobyl accident, the world has yet to significantly invest human and financial resources into developing alternatives to nuclear power, the most dangerous and unsustainable of all energy sources.