Friday, June 7, 2013

Standing on Shaky Ground -video


Resistance is growing in Taiwan against a toxic nuclear waste dump situated in an earthquake-prone zone.


Thirty years ago, the indigenous Tao inhabitants of Taiwan's Orchid Island were told their home had been chosen as the location of a fish cannery and with it would come employment and economic growth beyond their subsistence existence.
Instead, they got a nuclear waste facility, and they now worry about the impact of a growing stockpile of low-level radioactive waste on their farms and fishing grounds. Tens of thousands of the barrels of waste are corroding, and the islanders fear widespread contamination.
Taiwan sits on the edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the most earthquake prone region in the world, and after the Fukushima disaster, concerns are growing about its nuclear power plants sitting on such shaky ground.
But the islanders face a fierce fight, a powerful mainland power company and, because of its disputed nationhood, Taiwan is allowed to ship its waste for processing overseas.








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