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Letter to Prime Minister on his Germany Visit
April 10, 2013
Dear Dr Manmohan
Singhji,
This is with reference to
your visit to Germany from 10 to 12 April 2013 at the invitation of the German
Chancellor, Dr. Angela Merkel, for the second round of India-Germany
Inter-Governmental Consultations with your Ministers of New and Renewable
Energy, Science & Technology, Commerce, Industry and Textiles; External
Affairs and Human Resource Development. We are aware that your visit very
important given the fact that Germany is India’s largest economic partner in
Europe.
We realize that it is
quite significant that Minister of New and Renewable Energy is accompanying
you. Countries that wish to shut down nuclear power plants must find
alternatives for electricity generation and adopt wind power, solar energy,
biomass and other renewable energy sources. About 16% of global energy
consumption comes from renewable resources. According to a 2011 projection by
the International Energy Agency, solar power generators are likely to produce
most of the world’s electricity within 50 years.
We submit that in the
matter of nuclear energy, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC),
the body of the world's leading climate scientists convened by the UN have came
out with a 1,000-page Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate
Change Mitigation in May 2011 underling that the renewable energy could account
for almost 80% of the world's energy supply within four decades. In the post March
2011 world, nuclear energy advocacy is akin to living in a time warp of
pre-Chernobyl era.
We wish to inform you
that on November 4, 2011 at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi there
was a Public Lecture on “How Germany Decided to Give up Nuclear Energy” by
Professor Dr.-Ing. Matthias Kleiner, Co-chairman, Ethics Commission for a Safe
Energy Supply on behalf of Dr. Angela Merkel, Germany’s Chancellor in the
presence of key Indian scientists and diplomats. The message to move towards
nuclear energy free future was loud and clear from Dr. Kleiner’s speech.
We submit that unlike
India, Germany has decided to abandon nuclear energy although the decision is at
least 25 years late. Had this decision been taken in the aftermath of
Chenobyl’s nuclear disaster by the then German Chancellor, Mr Helmut Kohl, the
world have become free of dangers of catastrophe from nuclear energy related
initiatives. Mr Helmut Kohl belonged to Dr Merkel’s political party.
We submit that leaders who
are more concerned and sensitive to the plight of future generations are
abandoning nuclear energy. They are not acting in isolation. We wish to inform
you that Austria was the first country to begin a phase-out in 1978. It was followed
by Sweden in 1980, Italy in 1987 and Belgium in 1999. Austria and Spain have
gone as far as to enact laws not to build new nuclear power stations.
We submit that after the
March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, Germany has permanently shut down eight
of its reactors and pledged to close the rest by 2022. The Italians have voted
overwhelmingly to keep their country non-nuclear. Mr Silvio Berlusconi led
Italian Government tried to implement a new nuclear plan but a referendum held
in June 2011 stopped all nuclear projects. Switzerland has banned the
construction of new nuclear reactors. Japan’s prime minster has called for a
dramatic reduction in Japan’s reliance on nuclear power. Taiwan’s president has
done the same. Mexico has sidelined construction of 10 reactors in favor of
developing natural-gas-fired plants. Belgium is considering phasing out its
nuclear plants from 2015.
We submit that countries
such as Australia, Austria, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand, and
Norway have no nuclear power reactors and remain opposed to nuclear power.
We submit that the 1979
Three Mile Island accident, the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and March 2011
Fukushima nuclear disaster have played a key role in stopping construction of new
nuclear plants in many countries.
We submit that truth
has consistently been a casualty in debates on nuclear issue. How can there be
a truthful dialogue as long as the agreement between International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), World Health Organisation (WHO) exists. IAEA-WHO cannot
be trusted with sharing truth about the past nuclear catastrophe and such
imminent disasters in India because of a 52 years old treaty between WHO and
IAEA, which is heavily influenced by Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), established
in 1975. Notably, on 28th May 1959, the WHO ’s assembly voted into force an
obscure but important agreement with the IAEA founded just two years before in
1957. This agreement has given the IAEA an effective veto on any actions by the
WHO that relate in any way to nuclear energy. This prevents the WHO from
playing its proper role. The WHO’s objective is to promote “the attainment by
all peoples of the highest possible level of health”. The IAEA’s mission is to
“accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and
prosperity throughout the world”. Since the 21st anniversary of the Chernobyl
disaster in April 2007 efforts are on to persuade the WHO to abandon it’s the
WHO-IAEA Agreement. The protest has continued through the WHO’s 62nd World
Health Assembly. The scientific case against the agreement is building up, the European
Committee on Radiation Risk (ECRR) called for its abandonment at its conference
held in May 2009 in Lesvos, Greece.
We submit that India
and Germany should join hands to get the WHO-IAEA agreement abandoned.
We submit that "The
Atomic Energy Act, 1962 was enacted, after repealing the Atomic Energy Act,
1948, to provide for a legal framework for the development, control and use of
atomic energy for the welfare of the people of India and for other peaceful
purposes". The world has moved ahead since then at least eight secretaries
of the Government of India gave testimonies to the parliamentary standing
committee on science, technology, environment and forests in the matter of
Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010 expressing strong reservations
about nuclear energy and the imminent nuclear emergencies.
We want you to inquire
from Dr Merkel whether there a capping on the liability from nuclear disasters
in Germany?
We submit that the cost
of a worst-case nuclear accident at a plant in Germany, for example, has been
estimated to total as much as $11 trillion, while the mandatory reactor
insurance is only 3.7 billion. Prof. Olav Hohmeyer, an economist at the
University of Flensburg and a member of the German government's environmental
advisory body states, "The 3.7 billion will be just enough to buy the
stamps for the letters of condolence."
We submit that on the
subject of Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010, the then secretary,
Indian ministry of health and family welfare, Ms K Sujata Rao submitted to the
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science, Technology, Environment and
Forests in the matter of Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010 that
"Since the response system to deal with any kind of emergency of such type,
the hospitals are not well-equipped, it is natural that mortality and morbidity
due to multiple burn, blasts, radiation injuries and psycho-social impact could
be on very high scale and medical tackling of such a large emergency could have
enough repercussions in the nearby areas of radioactive fallout. She also
mentioned that in the entire bill, there is not a single clause which speaks
about taking healthcare during radiological emergencies. It reflects only about
payment of compensation due to health impacts of such radiation. She suggested
while setting up nuclear plants consideration may also be given to the fact
that there should be hospital having trained doctors near such establishments
and arrangements should also be made for free treatment of people who are
affected by serious nuclear fallout." She confessed that her ministry is
nowhere to meet an eventuality that may arise out of nuclear and radiological
emergencies.
We submit that prior to
the lecture Prof. Kleiner had addressed on the subject “Consequences of
Fukushima and a Proposal for Post 2012 Climate Regime: The Energy paradigm
shift in Germany.” The tile itself is a message against nuclear energy.
We want you to inquire whether
or not more than 440 nuclear power plants that are being run world over and are
operating without any insurance coverage.
In such a backdrop, Germany’s
decision to give up nuclear energy has eminent merit that needs to be adopted
by Government of India. “There are plenty of credible and scientific studies by
pioneering institutions and experts who have developed convincing models of a
comprehensive “carbon- free, nuclear- free” energy policy with a mix of energy
conservation, efficiency, R & D on renewable sources, and larger social
social-political changes ensuring greater community and public use of
resources” a report of Union of Concerned Scientists points out.
Your statement prior to
the departure to Germany informed fellow citizens saying, “We expect to sign a
number of agreements and Memorandums of Understanding in these areas.” If you
can sign a MoU with Germany for phasing out nuclear energy, it will show your far
sightedness and your government’s deep concerns for the future generations of
Indians.
Therefore, we urge you
to abandon the proposed nuclear plants as a first step.
We also wish to draw
your immediate attention towards the issue of Asbestos which Germany, Europe and
some 50 countries have banned because safe and controlled use of asbestos is
impossible but India continues to buy asbestos from countries like Canada who
have a no home use policy.
We submit that it is
relevant to recollect that at the time of the unification of Germany, the West
Germans were shocked to know that East Germany had a contractual obligation to
buy 50000 metric tons of Russian asbestos in 1990. A decision was made to send
payments to the Russians and to tell Russians to keep the asbestos. Asbestos is
banned in 55 countries the following countries including 27 members of European
Union.
In view of the above, we
urge you to recommend similar measures for India as well in order to eventually
ban trade in asbestos and stop its supply to India to save the lives of Indian
workers and consumers.
We urge you to get a Commission
set in collaboration with Dr Merkel to re-visit the assumptions of nuclear
energy for the sake of present and future generations, to persuade IAEA to come
out with a White Paper on Health Impact on Workers in more than 440 nuclear
power plants, to seek scrapping of WHO-IAEA treaty and to announce a moratorium
on nuclear energy related projects.
We note that you are
going to “seek Chancellor Merkel’s support for an early conclusion of a
balanced India-EU Broad-based Trade and Investment Agreement,” in view of the
same it is important to ensure that hazardous technologies, hazardous wastes
and end-of-life ships do not get dumped in India.
We want you to ask Dr
Merkel to intervene in the matter of German company BASF’s “Methyl Monomer” containers
lying at New Mangalore port. BASF is the world's largest producer of acrylic
monomer so that it can be removed at the earliest. BASF is the largest chemical
company in the world and is headquartered in Germany. When Ministry of Shipping
asked the company to remove it the German company cited “Inadequate storage
space in the factory premises of M/s BASF, Mangalore”, this is an affront to
the authority of Government of India. Both heads of States must work on ways to
regulate companies like BASF, mere UN Global Compact and Working Group on the
issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business
enterprises, Forum on Business and Human Rights and UN Guiding Principles on
Business and Human Rights are evidently hardly sufficient because they are
voluntary and self-regulatory.
In view of the above, we
want to request you to ask German Chancellor about ways in which India can decide
to give up nuclear energy, asbestos trade, and dumping of hazardous waste and end-of-life
ships, the way Germany has done. If you can do it, your visit will be
remembered by the future generations as a historic initiative in genuine public
interest.
Warm Regards
Gopal Krishna
ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA)
New Delhi
Mb: 9818089660
Email: gopalkrishna1715@gmail.com
Gopal Krishna
ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA)
New Delhi
Mb: 9818089660
Email: gopalkrishna1715@gmail.com
Web: www.toxicswatch.org
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