Energy
NGOs warn of nuclear power 'catastrophe' threat
AFP
MOSCOW
Petroleumworld.com
03 10 06
Former Soviet nuclear plants threaten an "ecological catastrophe",
non-government energy groups warned at a meeting of NGOs here
Thursday aimed at lobbying Russia's presidency of the Group of
Eight leading industrial nations.
Speakers at the meeting also warned of the dangers of nuclear
sites and other energy production and transport facilities in
the face of terrorism and the economic and social threats posed
by oil prices and climate change.
Toktaim Umetaliyeva, representing an association of Kyrgyz NGOs,
called for a "struggle against corruption in the exploitation
of energy sites," particularly former Soviet nuclear plants
that "threaten the whole of central Asia with ecological
catastrophe."
The meeting aimed to draw up a list of proposals to present to
delegations of the G8 group which will meet at a Russian-hosted
summit in July.
Speakers voiced concern over non-renewable energy sources and
the prospect of new nuclear power projects.
Alexei Toropov of the Siberian Ecological Agency called for the
public to be consulted on nuclear projects in Siberia. Uranium
supplies would be exhausted sooner than coal, he said.
"The 21st century is a turning point," said Thierry
Chambolle, representing the French NGO Agir ABCD.
"It is probably in the course of this century that we will
see the end of oil and gas resources, which constitutes an extraordinary
threat to humanity," he added.
Peter Schulz, one of the representatives from a group of German
ecological and development groups, said countries should be forced
to sign the European Energy Charter.
This 1991 charter by the European Commission aims at promoting
European Union cooperation on energy with eastern European and
former Soviet countries.
Russia has signed the text but not yet ratified it.
Umetaliyeva called for the use of clean sources for producing
hydrogen fuel.
Another German delegate, Juergen Maier, complained that some countries
lacked laws encouraging investment in renewable energy sources.
Russia will host July's summit in Saint Petersburg of its fellow
G8 members -- the United States, Britain, Canada, Italy, France,
Germany, and Japan.
AFP
03 09 06
Copyright
© 2006 AFP. All rights reserved.
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