[English]UN전달 GLOMA세계시민선언서 영문

[상생21]

Declaration to Stop Nuclear Wastewater Dumping

“We don’t understand why they have to throw it into the sea. No matter how diluted it is, the absolute amount of radioactivity remains the same. This destroys the marine ecosystem. Since radioactivity has a half-life, it can be significantly reduced if stored properly. But how come they don't keep it? The Japanese government must immediately stop the intentional destruction of lives in ecosystem. Terrorism causing humanity's self-destruction must be stopped. Now, the owners of the global community must step up. Citizens of South Korea and Japan are marching together to raise awareness of this matter and stop the discharge of polluted water. “If we walk together, we can make it.”

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The above was the message that citizens of South Korea and Japan shouted together while marching 1,600km from Seoul to Tokyo in the summer of 2023.

Over the past few decades, three nuclear power plant explosions have made us realize that humanity may be threatened not by nuclear war but by nuclear power plants. The nuclear waste generated by over 450 nuclear power plants worldwide exceeds a level that could cause catastrophic disasters for humanity. As we saw in Fukushima in 2011, when an accident occurs, the ocean is already polluted, making a huge impact on the Earth's ecosystem, including humans.

All living things in the Earth's ecosystem depend on each other to survive. The same goes for humanity. Humanity has a responsibility to respect the survival of all living things in the ecosystem as well as its own future generations. Therefore, we must make every effort to find a way to remove carelessly released nuclear contaminants from the ecosystem. Such efforts should be made, but rather, the Japanese government is intentionally dumping potentially fatal nuclear contaminants into the sea.

This can only be interpreted as a deliberate act, fundamentally fatal, killing life in the Earth’s ecosystem, including humanity. This is a typical example of their selfish actions of sacrificing the future of our children for the convenience of the current generation. If this wrong example continues from generation to generation, it will ultimately lead to our doom.

The Japanese government strongly opposed Russia's discharge of nuclear waste from its nuclear submarines in the past, leading to the London Convention (1996). But now they are mired in self-contradiction. What is more problematic is the United States and the United Nations (UN). The U.S. federal government is siding with the Japanese government based on the claims of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

However, the IAEA's impartiality is not recognized. Although it is an international organization responsible for nuclear safety, it does not hesitate to manipulate and fabricate scientific facts. The United Nations (UN) is also a problem. They are ignoring the spirit of the World Charter of Nature (1982), drawn up by themselves and the Earth Charter (2000), made by agreement at the Rio Environmental Conference, and are simply watching the destruction of our ecosystem. All of these things show that our international community is completely broken. At this rate, there is no hope for humanity.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Marine Laboratories (NAML), a collection of 100 oceanographic research institutes across the United States, and the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), a Nobel Peace Prize (1985) award-winning organization, clearly opposed the release of nuclear polluted water. Moreover, last summer, the U.S. state governments of Massachusetts and New York vehemently opposed and blocked the release of nuclear contaminated water. The judgment of these state governments is correct.

We can no longer just sit back and watch. This is the only Earth we have. The Earth is the home where countless lives and our descendants will live in the future. People from all countries must unite with determination and strength to hold accountable and rectify the mistakes that have already been committed. Now is the time we should act.

People worldwide must collectively express their strong will to regulate global nuclear resources and power, breaking free from the influence of a select few countries’ exclusive interests. Now is the time we should demonstrate our strong power. The purpose of the ‘Global Citizens’ March to Stop Nuclear Wastewater Dumping’ in June(Kyoto) and July(New York) is to raise awareness. In order to convey the will of global citizens through marching, we will resolve to make the following declaration.

1. The Japanese government, which has intentionally put humanity and the Earth's ecosystem at great risk, must immediately stop dumping nuclear contaminated water and apologize to all living things on Earth.

2. The U.S. government and the IAEA, which support Japan's ocean dumping of nuclear contaminated water, should immediately withdraw their support and seek safe measures for all living things on Earth.

3. The UN and the International Community must acknowledge and reflect on dereliction of their duty to stop Japan from dumping nuclear contaminated water into the ocean.

4. Global citizens, keep in mind that if we turn a blind eye to these errors, we are committing a crime to our descendants, and let us actively punish any country or power that intentionally commits such crimes.

5. Global citizens, let us be aware of our responsibility to protect the dignity of all life in the global village, and set the right guideposts.

July, 2024

GLOMA(GLObal citizen MArch to stop nuclear wastewater)