Japan’s nuclear disaster sparks global debate over the safety. As a series of nuclear accidents in the wake of last Friday’s 9.0 earthquake in Japan have caused to radiation levels high enough to affect human health, many people across the globe recall the 1986 nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, Russia, which was the worst in history. With 57 nuclear accidents that have occurred since then, two-thirds of which have been in the US, citizens and government officials alike are raising questions about the safety of nuclear energy.

Over the past few days, protesters and activists have voiced concerns over existing nuclear power plants in countries such as Turkey, South Africa, Formosa (Taiwan), Australia, France and Germany, where tens of thousands of people who have already been protesting nuclear energy’s use are also purchasing Geiger counters, which can measure radiation levels. Some governments have responded swiftly, as in Switzerland and Germany where plans to build and expand nuclear facilities have been halted. A growing number of countries have also pledged to investigate the appropriateness of current nuclear programs as they implement measures to monitor citizens’ safety, including the United Kingdom, Germany, India, and Finland.

Meanwhile, the Austrian government has called for the testing of all European nuclear power plants to determine their ability to withstand the stress of a disaster such as the one that just occurred in Japan, while emergency meetings have been called held by the French government and the European Union over nuclear safety. US legislators, including Senator Joseph Lieberman, who has been a nuclear energy supporter in the past, are now urging for a slowing of plans to implement nuclear energy, while Senator John Kerry has called for caution and a debate on whether it should even be used.

We thank all advocates, dignitaries and governments for your re-evaluation of the potential harms of nuclear energy, especially at this perilous time. As we pray for the protection of the people of Japan and all those who might be affected, may we soon greet a world where safe and sustainable energy sources are the norm.

Videoconference with Supreme Master Ching Hai
Seoul, Korea - May 22, 2008

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Every action provokes a counter reaction. So, we just have to stop killing. We just have to stop killing animals and man. We have to stop it. And then everything else will suddenly come clear. We will find better technical means to tackle the climate problem, the sunspots might even stop exploding. The ocean explosions might just stop. The typhoons might just stop. The cyclones will be silent. The earthquakes will just be gone. Everything else will turn to peaceful way of life because we create peace and then we will have peace. Peace not only among humans but among all co-inhabitants. That’s why I keep emphasizing the vegetarian diet. It’s the moral code of being a human. It is the mark of a great human.

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