It is shocking to think about the suffering the earthquake and tsunami have caused, and are still causing, the people of Japan. This report talks about the toxic waste left behind from the tsunami and the dire consequences for the land.
As much of Japan worries about nuclear radiation, residents along its northeastern coast are confronting a different environmental disaster: the wide-scale destruction and contamination of farms and other land from salt water, chemicals and other detritus and toxins washed in with last month's tsunami.
The authorities have recently upgraded the nuclear emergency from a 5 to a 7 - equal to Chernobyl, but 7 is the uppermost figure so it doesn't actually have a definitive end. Massive amounts of radioactive water have been released into the ocean and nobody actually knows the effect of that. The authorities have not wanted to panic people so who knows how much radiation has been leaked into the atmosphere.
In Chernobyl, in the Ukraine, a reactor exploded on April 26, 1986, spewing a cloud of radiation over much of the Northern Hemisphere. A zone about 30 kilometres around the plant was declared uninhabitable.
The global reach of this tragic event is not yet being seen, but it will be I believe. All we can do is send our support and compassion to the people, they are suffering terribly.
I am not trying to freak people out but the situation in Japan is turning even worse - if that can be imagined. The chance of a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear complex is increasing. There has been a fourth explosion. Radiation has/is already entering the atmosphere. It may not be the worst scenario come to life - we just don't know - but everything has changed - the world has changed.
What to do - send our love and hearts to the Japanese people and everyone else that will be affected. Make contact with our neighbours, friends and family - keep the communication strong and support each other - we need each other more than ever. Community, people and connection.
Aljazeera Net
5:59am Just before midnight, we reported that the ongoing crisis at Fukushima nuclear plant had been upgraded to a level 6 on the 7-point International Nuclear Events Scale. Andre-Claude Lacoste, president of France's ASN nuclear safety authority said:
We are now in a situation that is different from yesterday's. It is very clear that we are at a level six, which is an intermediate level between what happened at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. We are clearly in a catastrophe
