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Face up to global threats – climate change, nuclear power, nuclear weapons

Tough Talk From Environmental Activist Dr. Helen Caldicott    HUFFINGTON POST,   Marianne Schnall , 05/09/2012  Dr. Helen Caldicott has passionately devoted the last 40 years to educating the global community about the inherent risks and dangers of nuclear energy and weapons and the critical changes needed to restore and help save our embattled Earth. The Australian-born medical doctor (a pediatrician) and former Nobel Peace Prize nominee is the author of five books and the founder of several organizations including Physicians for Social Responsibility , Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND)  and The Helen Caldicott Foundation/NuclearFreePlanet.org . I recently had the opportunity to talk to the world renowned activist and environmental prophet at Green America’s Green Festival  in New York City, where she delivered an urgent and electrifying speech. Dr. Caldicott, who has been outspoken about the health and environmental dangers of nuclear power since before the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl meltdowns, prays that we will take heed from the recent Fukushima nuclear disaster, which resulted in the Japanese government shutting down all 54 of Japan’s nuclear reactors, and spark a global trend to close nuclear power plants. Her frustration and anger at the lack of meaningful progress on this issue is palpable; as is her inspiring hope and belief in the collective power of individual citizens to raise their voices and create the political will to take action. What’s at stake, as she reminds us in this candid interview, is our moral and spiritual imperative to protect our children and our Mother Earth. As she bluntly puts it, ” The planet’s in the intensive care unit, critically, acutely ill, and now we are all physicians to a dying planet.” She urges, “Let the data sink in and then get off your couches to save the planet for your children.”

Marianne Schnall: What is the one message you are most hoping to get out there?

Helen Caldicott: There isn’t one message, there are three. One is that we are in dire danger from global warming …..  Number two: you close down your two Indian Point reactors, because if one of them blows, man – you’re all gone. Three: work with Obama to work with Russia to abolish 97% of the weapons on the planet, between Russia and America. You can do that. The Russians are ready. What’s holding it up is your generals, who are really pathological in the Pentagon and one of them said, ‘If you get rid of our nuclear weapons, man, that’s threatening the family jewels,’ and that says it all, in a nutshell, so to speak, and that’s a bad pun…….   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-schnall/an-interview-with-environ_b_1500898.html

May 10, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general