Lauri Myllyvirta spricht für Greenpeace auf der Demo in Berlin

Guten Tag Berlin, guten Tag meine Freunde aus der Freien Republik Wendland, guten Tag anti-nukleares Deutschland, herzliche Grüße von der ganzen Anti-Nuklear-Bewegung Finnlands,

I work for Greenpeace and live in Finland, the country that chose to be the testing ground of the German-French nuclear industry, of the companies Siemens and Areva. The new nuclear reactor was supposed to be 100% safe, cheap and to allow us to shut down coal-fired power plants. This was what the media was reporting over and over again just four years ago.

In four years, we have seen the nuclear decision turn from a national pride to a national shame. None of the promises have been fulfilled.

The nuclear project is already three years late and construction costs have doubled. Because of that, French and German companies and, ultimately, taxpayers will lose at least 2 billion euros. The project costs Nordic electricity users up to 3 billion euros in higher energy prices. Trying to reduce the costs, Areva, the French company building the reactor, has chosen to ignore quality and safety. The number of detected quality problems exceeded 2000 last year. The company still does not know how to implement the control systems of the reactor in a way that would fulfil basic safety standards.

Because of all this, a clear majority of people in Finland are opposed to the nuclear industry’s plans to build new reactors.

You have probably heard politicians talking about a “global nuclear boom" ? or renaissance. I have good news: there is no such thing. Last year, not a single new reactor was started anywhere in the world. About 10 large nuclear reactor projects have been recently cancelled because of exploding costs. The few remaining concrete projects struggle with quality problems and delays. Nuclear power has entered a permanent decline.

On the other hand, last year, a wind turbine was installed every 33 minutes, somewhere in the world, with US and China leading the effort. The total energy output derived from renewables worldwide is seven times as large as that from nuclear power, and the gap is growing.

The only place where nuclear power is above renewables is in the minds of politicians of conservative parties like Finland’s National Coalition Party or your CDU or FDP.

Our responsibility is to phase out power plants that endanger the health and livelihoods of future generations. Each year nuclear power plants are kept running means more nuclear waste, more uranium mining, higher risk of accidents. There is no excuse: Climate change can be best tackled without nuclear plants.

The nuclear phase-out in Germany is one of the reasons for the success of wind and solar energy all over the world. A relapse into nuclear power in Germany would send a very bad signal to other countries.

Die internationale Umweltbewegung zählt auf jeden einzelnen von Euch. Schaut, wie viele Menschen Ihr seid! Eure Wählerstimmen werden am 27. September entscheidend sein, ob wir einer atomaren Zukunft oder einer Zukunft der Erneuerbaren Energien entgegen gehen. Sagt es Euren Freunden, sagt es Euren Verwandten, sagt es Euren Nachbarn, sagt es Euren Kollegen, Mitschülern und Mit-Studenten: Wählt die Atomkraft endgültig ab, hier in Deutschland !!! Das wird auch uns in Finnland und im Rest von Europa helfen, die Atomkraft rauszuschmeißen !!!

Bitte, meine deutschen Freunde: Lasst nicht nach! Kämpft weiterhin so mutig und leidenschaftlich für den Ausstieg aus der Atomkraft! Danke.