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Native American tribes concerned about climate, uranium, nuclear

U.S.: “We All Breathe the Same Air and Drink the Same Water”By Kyra Ryan SANTA ANA, New Mexico, Dec 5 (IPS) – Some 8,000 kilometres from the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Native American environmental experts from 66 tribes came together at a summit here this week to address the most pressing needs in their communities – problems, all emphasised, that know no geographic boundaries.

These include water and air pollution, superfund cleanup, mining and illegal dumping, as well as the impacts of climate change………….as the governor of Santa Ana, Bruce Sanchez, put it in opening comments, “We all breathe the same air and drink the same water. There are no boundaries when it comes to the environment. The sooner we learn to survive on the mother earth, the better.”

Others raised concerns about the lingering health effects of past uranium mining, as well as air, land, and water contamination from Los Alamos National Laboratories. Given the Barack Obama administration’s support of nuclear energy as a so-called green alternative to coal and gas, these “legacy issues”, many feel, must be addressed…………….. Many tribal members, who preferred to remain off the record, disagreed with the idea that cleanup issues are “historical”, and remain sceptical that nuclear power can ever be green. In a state with a long history of dealing with pollution from the nuclear industry, the issue won’t go away.

U.S.: “We All Breathe the Same Air and Drink the Same Water” – IPS ipsnews.net

December 7, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, climate change, indigenous issues, USA | antinuclear, cancer, indigenous, nuclear, radiation, radioactive, uranium, wastes