Fukushima nuclear disaster called the biggest ticking time bomb in human history

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      The local ABC affiliate in San Francisco has broadcast a frightening news story about the 2011 Japanese nuclear accident, which followed a massive earthquake and tsunami.

      Award-winning reporter David Ono described it this way: "Fukushima is potentially the biggest ticking time bomb in human history."

      Ono included a year-old quote from Vancouver's David Suzuki, who said that if there's another large earthquake in Japan, it could have catastrophic implications across the Pacific Ocean.

      That's because the Fukushima nuclear-power plant has even fewer defences today than before the tsunami.

      "It's bye bye Japan, and everybody on the west coast of North America should evacuate," Suzuki said in October 2013. "Now if that isn't terrifying, I don't know what is."

      Suzuki's entire presentation can be seen below.

      Comments

      14 Comments

      MarkFornataro

      Nov 21, 2013 at 9:07am

      Rob Ford may be more fun to listen to and watch than David Suzuki- but what's most important is to learn from what Suzuki is saying and act accordingly- and to recognize that as priorities go, the Fukushima calamity should get much more coverage than Rob Ford. Otherwise we're in denial- just like Rob Ford.

      Hiroshi Suzuki

      Nov 21, 2013 at 2:51pm

      Japan: Lawmaker receives death threat after handing letter to emperor
      TOKYO, Nov. 21 (United Press International) — Japanese lawmaker Yamamoto, who has been criticized for handing a letter to the emperor, received an envelope with a bullet in it, authorities said.
      The envelope also contained a letter threatening to kill Yamamoto.
      Police said they have launched an investigation.
      Last week, another envelope was sent to Yamamoto with a knife inside.
      The lawmaker was recently reprimanded for handing a letter directly to Emperor during a party last month.
      Yamamato, an antinuclear activist, said the letter urged the emperor to pay attention to problems caused by the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima atomic power station.

      dave w

      Nov 21, 2013 at 5:39pm

      @ Mark: You're right, tune into what's important... Rob Ford has absolutely nothing to do with this story, focus people, FOCUS!

      Kuri chan

      Nov 21, 2013 at 9:26pm

      There have been several earthquakes off the east coast of Japan, which is not good news when you consider what could happen if TEPCO drops one of those fuel rods. I go on enenews every morning and urge everyone out there to do the same if you want to know how dangerous the situation is.

      ACMESalesRep

      Nov 21, 2013 at 10:50pm

      It's also been called “not a nuclear disaster” by people who actually understand nuclear and health physics – it was the earthquake and tsunami that killed 15,000 people, while the reactor has killed or injured nobody – but that's not nearly as sexy as calling it a “ticking time bomb”, is it?

      casper

      Nov 21, 2013 at 11:13pm

      Thanks for continuing to report on the Fukushima disaster. It is really sad that more people aren't alarmed about it.

      This is typical Suzuki.

      Nov 22, 2013 at 8:23am

      He's just an entertainer using showmanship, hyperbole and a dash of righteousness to further his own agenda. In this case it's his anti-nuclear stand. What better way to stop the development of nuclear power than to say half the world is going to blow up in the next few years.

      These uber-rich environmental hypocrites are always rather amusing. David Suzuki will lecture you about consumption, fossil fuels and green house gasses then turn around consume more in a year than everyone who reads this story consumes in lifetime. These types will lecture you about the evils urban sprawl (and how you must live in a box in the sky), yet they themselves live in sprawling double lot mansions. They will rally against capitalism while pocketing millions from their business ventures.

      Maybe they do have a point or maybe they don't. The only thing I know is that Suzuki and his crew of hypocrites aren't the place to be looking for an objective analysis of the situation.

      William Sutton

      Nov 22, 2013 at 10:05am

      FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO, William Shakespeare wrote plays exploring the "Fatal Flaw of Excessive Pride" (hubris) ...but Shakespeare was not the first to recognise how it leads to tragedy.

      TWO THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED YEARS AGO (in 405 BC), the ancient Greek-Athenian playwright Euripides wrote The Bacchae, a tragedy involving an emporer, the threat of unwanted influences, an earthquake, and the destruction of his family.

      As an English teacher from Canada, I humbly encourage Emporer Tennō Heika to weed out "hubris" at all levels of government.

      Hiroshi Suzuki

      Nov 22, 2013 at 11:13am

      "Chernobyl Was Transparent Compared to Fukushima": Harvey Wasserman on Ongoing Crisis

      19 November 2013 Truthout

      The information we were getting this summer included revelations that 300 tons of toxic water leaked in one week, and then in other news, the fact that 300 tons are leaking into the Pacific daily.

      Every day, and this is for two and half years now, and there is no end in sight. It could go on for 50 years. We've already detected radiation from Fukushima off of the coast of Alaska. There was a study of 15 tuna caught off the coast of California; out of the 15 tuna caught, 15 had radiation from Fukushima.

      You wouldn't want to eat this tuna. Radiation in even small doses, cesium, strontium, iodine, will bio-accumulate. If you get a relatively small dose into some seaweed, fish will come; they will eat enough seaweed that it will be significant; they will be eaten up the food chain; we're at the top of the food chain.

      Martin Dunphy

      Nov 22, 2013 at 2:00pm

      @This is typical:

      This tired old crap again.
      Personally, I don't care if David Suzuki wipes his ass with $20 bills.
      It wouldn't make Fukushima--or nuclear-industry shills--any less dangerous.