The Ecological Ignorance of U.S. Presidents REDUX

I posted the essay below a year ago; it's even more relevant now..........................

 https://www.democracynow.org/2023/1/25/frida_berrigan_doomsday_clock

It borders on insanity that common folks in the relatively free countries (out of 9 total***) which produce & own nuke weapons aren't persistently calling for a ban on such weapons.  Even a number of high-ranking military folks, such as retired Colonel Andrew Bacevich, have stated nukes are unnecessary for the defense of any nation.

[***Many more than 9 "host" (or endorse) U.S. nukes]

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists now have their "Doomsday Clock" set at 90 seconds to midnight.

All our recent Presidents are in favor of so-called "lower yield, tactical" nukes.  Obama launched a 10-yr program (continued by Trump & Biden) to expand and upgrade our nuke arsenal.  Such action demonstrates an ecological ignorance beyond comprehension.

On top of all that, more production of nukes means more nuke waste (which produces ionizing radiation for thousands of years).  The waste we have already is temporarily being stored at whatever site generates it.  That's been going on since the mid-1940's.  There have been big problems, and they continue.

Ike's "military-industrial complex" rolls on, and very few people seem to care, or maybe they feel there's nothing they can do about it.  Here's something you can do about it:

https://www.icanw.org/join  And here's part of why you should,

https://www.icanw.org/nuclear_arsenals

.....................

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

The Ecological Ignorance of U.S. Presidents

 https://www.democracynow.org/2023/1/25/frida_berrigan_doomsday_clock

It borders on insanity that common folks in the relatively free countries (out of 9 total***) which produce & own nuke weapons aren't persistently calling for a ban on such weapons.  Even a number of high-ranking military folks, such as retired Colonel Andrew Bacevich, have stated nukes are unnecessary for the defense of any nation.

[***Many more than 9 "host" (or endorse) U.S. nukes]

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists now have their "Doomsday Clock" set at 90 seconds to midnight.

All our recent Presidents are in favor of so-called "lower yield, tactical" nukes.  Obama launched a 10-yr program (continued by Trump & Biden) to expand and upgrade our nuke arsenal.  Such action demonstrates an ecological ignorance beyond comprehension.

On top of all that, more production of nukes means more nuke waste (which produces ionizing radiation for thousands of years).  The waste we have already is temporarily being stored at whatever site generates it.  That's been going on since the mid-1940's.  There have been big problems, and they continue.

Ike's "military-industrial complex" rolls on, and very few people seem to care, or maybe they feel there's nothing they can do about it.  Here's something you can do about it:

https://www.icanw.org/join  And here's part of why you should,

https://www.icanw.org/nuclear_arsenals

.....................

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

Nuclear Wastes: Excerpt Number 2 from "The Beginning of the Path to Human Extinction, and How to Get Off It..."

 Excerpt Number 2---

No one gave too much thought to nuke waste at the beginning of the nuclear era. In the 1950’s, small amounts were put into 55-gallon drums and buried or placed in pools of water… as an interim storage solution. Larger amounts were placed in huge storage tanks, first single-shelled and later double-shelled. The 55-gallon drums soon were replaced with steel and concrete “casks”. The Fed Government tried to mandate a few permanent geologic storage sites in Kansas and Nevada over the years, but all were eventually terminated because of tech uncertainties or local opposition, or both. The Yucca Mountain repository site in Nevada was proposed in the 1980’s, and all work on it ended in 2011. It never came to be. Incredible!

So, you might ask, where are the tons of radioactive waste being stored currently? The answer is: on whichever site they are generated. Three-fourths of all States in the USA have such sites. All of the storage is temporary until the Feds locate a permanent site and get it built and operating. We have been generating nuclear waste since 1945, and still don’t have a permanent repository for it. The high-level waste remains radioactive for thousands of years.

For almost two decades just prior to 1975, Dow Chemical - a private contractor -operated the Atomic Energy Commission's Rocky Flats bomb factory in Colorado.  Because of Dow's improper storage of thousands of drums of oil contaminated with plutonium, those drums corroded and leaked plutonium into the soil, water, and air.  Dow also "disposed" of contaminated water by spraying it on fields surrounding the facility...claiming that was "irrigation".  A Whistleblower by the name of James Stone brought this all to light, and of course, he was fired or forced to resign.  In 1975, a new Government Department took over and a different contractor was hired.

Throughout the 1980's and culminating (in 1989) in an FBI raid on the Department of Energy (DOE) Rocky Flats nuclear bomb manufacturing facility, Rockwell International (the other private contractor) was illegally disposing of hazardous waste contaminated with plutonium.  Plutonium has a half-life of 24,000 years and is considered by many to be the most toxic substance on Earth.

The illegal disposal resulted in plutonium contaminating not only soil, but the air, the groundwater, and surface streams as well.  Over sixty pounds of the toxic substance were found to have accumulated in the ductworks of just one building of the plant.  The US EPA and the Colorado Dept. of Health both were prohibited by DOE from inspecting the key areas of the entire facility.  "National Security".  Meanwhile, plutonium was contaminating the air, soil, and streams that wound up in drinking water reservoirs.  Eventually, DOE succumbed to pressure and submitted a huge Report detailing the hazardous waste and what was done with it.  The FBI studied all 27 volumes of the Report, and even took water samples just offsite of Rocky Flats.  That all led to the raid on the facility...one Agency raiding another.

There's more to the story, going into the 1990's.  If interested, go online to YouTube and do a Search for "Rocky Flats"; you'll find several documentaries or clips.  In particular, look for PBS Frontline's--- Rocky Flats Secrets of a Bomb Factory.

In the 1970’s, I took an Advanced Ecology class of mine on a trip to visit the Hanford Site in the State of Washington. Back then, it was a nuclear production facility covering 586 square miles. In 1943, Hanford was the world’s first plutonium production plant, and part of the A-Bomb Manhattan Project. It generated a lot of high-level nuke waste over the years. At the end of the Cold War, it was decommissioned. Today, it’s the most contaminated nuclear site in the United States. When it closed down, it left behind 53 million gallons of liquid high-level radioactive waste and 25 million cubic feet of solid nuke waste.

In 1989, Hanford became the largest environmental/Superfund cleanup site in the country. In 2011 and 2012, it was discovered that several of the large tanks were leaking nuclear waste into both groundwater and surface water. During its operating years, the site used Columbia River water to cool its reactors. All of this resulted in nuclear contamination being detected over 200 miles from Hanford.

When my class and I were there, of course, we were not aware of any of these problems. We were given the typical tourist-type tour, and were impressed with how spiffy and clean everything appeared to be. So much for appearances.

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Plutonium is believed by many scientists to be the most toxic substance on Earth.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

With several exceptions, there's not much to celebrate on Earth Day 2022

I remember well Earth Day 1970.  That year I was teaching Earth Science in Klamath Falls, Oregon.  People all around the USA (& probably elsewhere) were joining the Environmental Movement.  The EPA was created.  As well as a number of other environmental laws, the Clean Air Act was passed.  In many regards, it was a time of optimism.  It seemed to be a paradigm shift for the better.

Except for a small number of countries/areas around the world (the USA is NOT in the exceptions), fifty-two years later we have the following:

1)  in general, GDPs continue to expand, and that correlates directly to increasing ecological damage;

2)  men like Putin apparently possess almost zero knowledge of ecological principles (never mind ethics);

3)  like most other countries, the USA has no Fed Dept of Sustainability;

4)  Biden is re-opening drilling for fossil fuels on public land;

5)  cleanup on the most toxic sites in the USA (Superfund sites) practically is at a standstill;

6)  the petrochemical industry is pumping out more single-use plastic items than ever before;

7)  the climate situation continues to deteriorate;

8)  instead of being proactive and thus addressing the ecological causes of pandemics, governments continue to be reactive when fighting disease;

9)  the Powers-That-Be are not adequately addressing biodiversity loss and numerous other eco-problems, most likely because they don't understand such problems are an existential threat to humans; and

10)  there still is no permanent solution to the problem of millions & millions of gallons (or in many cases, pounds of solid material) of nuclear waste, which now is being temporarily stored in every State in the USA.  [Some of it is escaping into the soil, the water, and the atmosphere.  Such waste will remain radioactive for thousands of years.]

Given the above, one wonders if perhaps we should change the scientific name of humans (Homo sapiens) to Homo moronicus.  😕

To all the exceptions I mentioned, keep going with your good work.  It must be discouraging at times, but you can prevail.  Sustainability still has a chance.  KUDOS, and thank you for your efforts.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beginning-of-the-path-to-human-extinction-and-how-to-get-off-it-scott-haley/1141364431?ean=2940160947181