NUKE DUMP? The Ethics of Geological Disposal

Icon_article Published: January 16, 2011 21:56 by marianne |

Tagged as: environmentalism social_struggles
Neighbourhoods: cumbria london northwest world

Prof Andy Blowers has been asked to speak to the West Cumbria Managing Radioactive Waste Safely Partnership on the ethics of geological disposal. The meeting will take place on wednesday at the Hundith HillHotel, Cockermouth - 9.30am - 4pm

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To a layperson with no degree in anything the ethics of the geological disposal of high level nuclear waste seems to be rather like discussing the ethics of slavery. Maybe it is ok if the slaves volunteer? How can we be sure that future generations of slaves will willingly volunteer?

Or in Cumbria's case is it like asking a cat to consider the ethics of foxhunting? Even if the cat is agile with all nine lives intact - there is no way it is going to consider pursuing a fox unless it has a death wish.

Similarly there is no way that the geology of Cumbria can be ethically considered for the geological disposal of nuclear wastes. In the 1990's Nirex now known as the Nuclear Decomissioning Authority spent over £400M on looking at the geology of the whole of West Cumbria up to Ulverston in Furness. The area around Longlands Farm at Gosforth (green belt near Sellafield) was seen as the best bet.

This 1990's search for a site culminated in an Inquiry which ruled overwhelmingly against the geological disposal of intermediate level wastes in Cumbria's leaky geology. Now high level nuclear wastes are being proposed for a mega underground dump (or two) that in size (10km square 1000ft deep) rivals the huge old coal mines on the West Coast.

Venue: ..Hundith Hotel near Cockermouth..

( directions below ) Weds 19th - afternoon -

( lunch available )

The title is: 'It is a moral issue: ethical issues and the management of radioactive waste'.

Professor Andy Blowers on Ethics of Nuke Dumping

Directions to Hundith Hill Hotel

For a map - go to this web-link:

http://www.westcumbriamrws.org.uk/meetings_more.asp?news_id=10&current_id=1 and go to the very last 'click here' at the bottom of the page

Lunch will be starting at at around 12:30-ish

E-mail sharon.walker@copeland.gov.uk or phone ( freephone ) 0800 048 8912 to ensure that there are enough seats and grub

Please forward to anyone who may be interested in turning up to listen to Prof Blowers
- and saying NO to geological disposal of nuclear wastes in Cumbria -

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