GreenWatch

B. McPherson How long until another Fukushima in Japan? Just when you thought it was safe to eat the rice. Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station has released a massive cloud of radiation. On January 12, 2015 nearly four years after the nuclear power station was wrecked in an earthquake/tsunami one two punches of dangerous levels of radiation are being released. The four elements reported on in the January 12, 2015 news release show stunningly high radioactivity. ·          Cesium 134 emitting at 7,500% above the January 8 reading, setting a new record high ·          Cesium 137 emitting at 7,500% above the January 8 reading, setting a new record high ·          Cobalt 60 emitting at 400% of previous record high ·          Beta particles emitting at 6,000% above January 8 reading 1,300% above old record high ...

B. McPherson For those returning to the hot zone the prospect of radiation trumps the "cages". A little over three years after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station was wrecked, 350 people have been allowed to return to Tamura City. It lies within the 20km exclusion zone. The refugees have been assured that the area is safe for habitation. The former residents, 80 000 of them, have been assured of many things since the explosions at the electrical facility spread radioactivity over the area. The Japanese government has joined with the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to reassure people of their quick responses to the dangers of radiation and their quick and efficient response to safety issues. However over the past three years, the facts have often been contrary to the official stories. This excerpt from Fukushima Update says it as well as anyone can: Because we all know TEPCO would never misreport the radiation surrounding Fukushima. Oh wait:...

B. McPherson Poachers looking to make a quick buck on the burgeoning ivory trade have poisoned 41 elephants in Hwange National Park. The poison has been tracked to cyanide spread onto a salt pan and water holes. The destruction continues. Matriarchs would lead their families to salt and water. They die. The fertile females die. The babies die. The animals that feed on the poisoned elephants die. The animals that feed on those animals die. And for what? The ivory of the elephant has become the new blood diamonds. The new found wealth of some Asian countries has led to a steep demand for ivory. Convention on Trade in Endangered Species(Cites) has sounded the alarm regarding the very survival of this species. According to their figures, 25 000 elephants were poached in Africa last year. An estimated 30 of them are killed every day in Tanzania. The Philippines currently leads the world in consumption of ivory, legal or not. The dead elephants’ teeth are made into knickknac...

B. McPherson Air and water pollution threatens China's future. China has taken one small step towards cleaning up their heavily polluted country. They have acknowledged the existence of “Cancer Villages”. Until the recently they have denied that they exist. These villages are in close proximity to industrial operations which until now have had free rein to dump their toxic waste into surface and ground water. The resulting pollution has rendered about 20% of the rivers in China so polluted that they are no longer useful for industrial use. The water that people are forced to use for washing and drinking is also heavy with toxins. In the Cancer Villages as many as 80% of the people are suffering from various cancers. Greenpeace activists in China have been urging the People’s government to take action on the release of toxins into the environment since 1997. They hail the acknowledgement of the problem and a five year plan to eliminate some of the most toxic che...