A report by Rob Edwards called "Nukes
of Hazard: the Nuclear Bomb Convoys on our Roads" includes information released by the MoD under freedom of information law, responses from
local authorities and fire services and an opinion poll commissioned
from YouGov. It is available from the webpage at: http://nukesofhazard.co.uk/
On Tuesday 27th September, I supported a public meeting organised by Scottish CND and ICAN UK to discuss this report.
With Alison Thewliss MP, Jane Tallents - Nukewatch,
Rob Edwards and Rebecca Sharkey - ICAN.
An
accident involving a nuclear convoy could do catastrophic harm to
Glasgow's people, environment, and commerce.
In
terms of public health, the convoys increase risk of injury or loss
of life for people living in the city centre in particular. In addition, there is
the long-term risk of cancers affecting those exposed to
radioactivity contaminating within communities across the city
and wider area.
Risk of cancer increases for babies and toddlers.
They are about four times as sensitive to radiation cancer-inducing
effects as middle-aged adults. Pregnant
women and young mothers are also highly vulnerable. There is a higher risk of low-birth weight babies and
infant deaths as a consequence of this disaster. Women are uniquely
impacted by nuclear radioactivity. In particular, there are high
rates of stillbirths, miscarriages, birth defects, and reproductive
problems.
Destruction
of local infrastructure such as schools and hospitals
disproportionately affects the most vulnerable in a population,
including young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with
chronic illness.
Members
of emergency services, health care professionals, other personnel
providing essential services, and the many who may be called to
assist in responses to humanitarian emergencies would face unique
dangers and difficulties following any nuclear explosion, with
widespread and persistent radioactivity severely complicating and
hampering access and relief efforts.
The
capacity to assist survivors of a nuclear detonation would first and
foremost be restricted by limited access to the victims.
As
shown in the 2007 City of Hiroshima ‘Report from the Committee of
Experts on Damage Scenarios Resulting from a Nuclear Weapons Attack’,
any intervening agency would have to find a way to access the area
affected without exposing themselves to unacceptable levels of
radiation, particularly during the days immediately after the
explosion.
The
firestorms erupting a few minutes after the explosion would pose
another barrier. The
explosion from a single nuclear weapon accident would impose economic
costs at least equivalent to, and most likely well beyond, the costs
of a major natural disaster.
Past
experience with large-scale natural and human-induced disasters tells
us that the resulting economic costs depend strongly on the
population density and the nature and extent of economic activities
carried out in the zone surrounding the site of the explosion.
In
a key urban area of Glasgow, the costs of the immediate destruction
and longer-term economic disruption inside and potentially far
outside of that area could easily
run into millions of pounds.
It is not difficult to imagine that
extraordinary pressure would be placed on Glasgow City Council, and
Scottish Government to take some form of strong action in response. Disasters
affect the achievement of development through loss of lives,
livelihoods, and infrastructure, but also through the diversion of
funds to emergency relief and reconstruction and address the broader
effects on the economy.
In
the aftermath of any major disaster people are typically displaced
from their homes for varying amounts of time.
As
has been shown in the Marshall Islands, Fukushima, and Chernobyl,
displacement is a serious issue in the wake of a nuclear catastrophe.
The inhabitants of the Marshall Islands became nomads, “disconnected
from their lands and their cultural and indigenous way of life. The
tsunami, earthquake, and Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear disaster
destroyed 90 percent of homes in the small town of Futuba. The
government evacuated residents living within 20 km of the nuclear
power plant, resulting in the displacement of 77,000 people. Many
people continue to live in temporary shelters and residences,
uncertain if they would ever be able to return home. In October 2012,
the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC) declared the Fukushima nuclear disaster to be an ongoing
humanitarian crisis.
Disasters
have devastating effects on the environment depending on their type,
severity, and location. Generally, disasters affect key natural
resources such as
fields, soil, forests, and biodiversity. In the near term, restoring
these assets is often impossible. Nuclear weapons have a particularly
horrific effect on the environment, from water through to soil.
This
report highlights the responsibility on us all to show stronger
leadership in outlawing and eliminating these weapons.
