Date: 2003
Owner: Global Voices
Source Type: Images
On August 6, 2003, the fifty-eighth anniversary of the nuclear attack on Hiroshima, Greenpeace activists protested the construction of the Angra III nuclear reactor. Although plans to build the new power plant have been discussed since the early 1980s and many of its parts have been waiting in storage for over twenty years (at a cost of $20 million USD per year), Brazil has yet to commit to its creation. These protesters are located in front of the Rio De Janeiro building for Electrobras, a 70% government-owned holding company and the main shareholder in Electronuclear, Brazil's nuclear utility. Brazil's environment minister, Marina Silva, was also against the construction of Angra III, claiming that nuclear waste is a major problem to which there is still no solution. Both she and Greenpeace advocate alternative energy sources, yet they may be fighting a losing battle. After a brief decline in support for nuclear power in the 1990s, a large portion of the government has begun to promote Angra III (and perhaps other new nuclear power plants) as a reliable, safe, and clean way to combat Brazil's energy shortage. Although waste is a significant issue, nuclear reactors do not produce any greenhouse gases or other harmful emissions, making them an attractive alternative for administrators concerned about global warming. Debates concerning the pros and cons of nuclear power are still prevalent throughout the world and may be coming to a head in Brazil within the next few years.
CITATION: Greenpeace activists protest Angra III. Image courtesy of Global Voices. www.globalvoicesonline.org.
DIGITAL ID: 12479
