Michael Madsen on the staggering problem of storing the world’s nuclear waste
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Michael Madsen, the Danish director of the new documentary film “Into Eternity”, joins Dr. Caldicott for a riveting conversation with worldwide implications. “Into Eternity” focuses on the vast amounts of radioactive waste created every day by nuclear power plants the world over, and the constant challenge to find an adequate way to store it, with a special emphasis on the Onkalo nuclear waste repository being built in Finland (to be completed in 120 years). Read two 2011 articles about the film: ‘Into Eternity’: Effort to store nuclear waste and Nukes are forever which includes the trailer for the film. Check out Conversation with Michael Madsen: Director of Into Eternity which includes stills from the documentary. Also read the 2006 BBC article Finland buries its nuclear past. To learn more about Madsen’s film and inquire about future DVD sales, visit intoeternitythemovie.com.
August 13th, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Michael Madsen is taking a global perspective on the nuclear waste that exists already.
He suggests that Australia should be the place to have the long term radioactive waste disposal site. This is a somewhat shocking idea. And it does raise the problems of the safety of the wastes in transport.
However, Australia could take the bold step of hosting the radioactive wastes of any country that clearly commits to closing down all nuclear installations. For example, Japan could close all down, and probably will. When they’re all shut - where can Japan put its radioactive wastes?
The existing wastes are a reality. It is one task now to stop the nuclear industry, and stop more wastes being produced. It is another necessary task to deal with the existing wastes.
August 16th, 2011 at 3:26 am
If Australia did decide to take the wastes of a country that closed down its nuclear program, permanently, - it should be made clear that this would be on Commonwealth land, not Aboriginal, and it should not be in the hands of private companies such as John White’s “Nuclear Fuel Leasing”