No to Dumping Fukushima Radioactive Waters in the Pacific

To: the European Commission, National Leaders of EU Member States, Members of the European Parliament

The Japanese government announced on Tuesday 13 April 2021 that it plans to dump more than 1 million tonnes of water contaminated by the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea.

The Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster was a nightmare that is still far from over. That's because the Japanese government is about to allow a company to dump 1 million cubic meters of radioactive water from the plant into the Pacific Ocean in 2022 -- unless we can stop them.

An impact assessment is direly needed in order to shed light on the possible consequences of contaminating fish, food and water sources and marine ecosystems with radioactive fall-out.

The European Union has until now not stepped in and is saying they are relying on assessments that recommend releasing the waste into the air or the ocean.

The ocean is a common good, and impacts everyone - we must stand united to protect this common good and avoid ecocide.

UN experts have called for a delay of any toxic discharging until there is sufficient space for consultations and understanding of all of its impacts, including on indigenous people.

The EU must support the UN and use all its diplomatic weight and activate all political levers before it is too late, ensure an impact assessment is completed, propose eco-friendly alternatives and push for an international agreement aiming for concentrations of artificial radioactive substances close to zero in the Pacific, as assured by the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (the 'OSPAR Convention').

Huge international pressure could raise the necessary awareness required for Japanese authorities to reconsider their plans. Together, we stand up for protecting our precious oceans.

Will you add your name to demand leaders of Europe protect the ocean from radioactive water?

Corrigendum on 15 April 2021

A previous version of this petition stated that "[t]he UN has demanded a delay of any toxic disarching until more studies can be done to understand the impacts." The call from the UN has been changed and specified in the current version of the text.