Japan nuclear disaster out of control

Reactors 3 and 4 (from Gara)

The rats are leaving the ship... the rich are leaving Japan. The situation may spiral beyond recognition in a matter of hours, as the IAEA has confirmed that all three reactors have core damage and are having meltdowns. To this it must be added the not less important radiation emitted by the spent fuel rods at reactor 4 and potentially also at reactors 5 and 6, which would be like Chernobyl on steroids. Also let us not forget that at least other three nuclear power plants in NE Japan have cooling problems caused by the earthquake.  

Would Japan be Cuba, millions of people would be evacuated already to safer areas by the state in a properly organized effort (at least that's what they do when hurricanes strike). Instead in capitalist Japan (or the USA, remember Katrina or the still ongoing Deepwater Horizon distaster) people seem to have been abandoned to their bad luck as the government is unable to guarantee oil supplies for transport, emergency public transport, shelters for refugees, etc. We watch on TV how, in one of the wealthiest countries on Earth, refugees from the tsunami almost do not have food nor are being moved to areas relatively safe from radiation. 

When they start the evacuation, if they ever do, it will be too late for most people. Meanwhile the demand of private jets, ejection pods for the ones who can afford them, has increased a lot.

For the EU's Energy Commissioner Günther Oethinger, the situation is effectively out of control and there could be catastrophic events within the coming hours.

For Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Rosatom, the Russian Nuclear Energy Corporation, Japan's nuclear disaster is reaching the worst case scenario. He is worried that his efforts to sell Russian nuclear technology may be hampered by this disaster. 

Thanks to Florida Oil Spill Law blog for keeping track of  the developments at Japan better than most media, even if it is a blog dedicated to the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.


Protests in the Basque Country

While popular struggle (and, admittedly, a killing by ETA) stopped the extremely controversial nuclear plant of Lemoiz, a few kilometers away from Bilbao, leaving the territory of Euskal Herria, as understood modernly, nuclear-free, there is one nuclear central in the historical territory of Navarre not far from Miranda de Ebro, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bilbao. This is the power plant of Garoña (locator map).

The dangerous plant was scheduled to be closed this year but its license was extended for two more years recently. For that reason protests in solidarity with Japan and for the immediate closure of this plant have begun to happen.

Protest today at Bilbao (source)

A larger demonstration has been called for tomorrow evening (19:30 Arriaga Plaza).