One of the topics that we covered during our interim class is energy production and the dangers of nuclear power. More specifically, we discussed the ways in which the Fukushima accident affected the lives of many Japanese people and how radioactivity will certainly cause social and environmental damage for the next couple of decades. While I was very much aware of this aspect of nuclear power, I was less aware of the history of waste management, which is something Simon Avenell discusses in his book entitled « Transnational Japan in the Global Environment. » He discusses the cases of a number of countries (and specifically Japan) that used to dump contaminated waste in oceans and this without providing much monitoring to ensure the safety of the procedure. While the idea of putting radioactive waste containers in oceans might appear foolish enough due to the risks associated with ecosystem destruction, I believe that this aspect reveals how people tend to prioritize their own interests (by choosing the easy way out) rather the the interests of the environment and those of the global community. Ocean dumping was something that I never read about before but it helped me reflect a little more not only on what should be done next but it also on the idea of sustainability in Japan and the rest of the world.
Such practices, which caused a lot of controversy around the globe for many years, made me think about the necessity to acknowledge past mistakes if we are to protect natural ecosystems and provide support for the communities that are most impacted by human activities. Because yes, radioactive waste dumping was a clear mistake and should have been planned more carefully. Avenell discusses extensively how activist groups and local communities in Japan fought for their rights in order to receive more attention from the government. I believe that fully acknowledging mistakes and the poor support provided to certain communities is something that we need to learn from to improve ourselves. But this is not happening at the moment. This idea also sends us back to some key concepts introduced during many of our field trips, which relate to Japanese people’s desire to initiate a change in philosophy regarding the way we treat the environment.
However, because such situations almost always involve politics and conflict of interest and because the government tends to avoid sensitive topics, it is possible to question whether or not institutions are actually willing to make good use of past unsuccessful experiences. I believe that learning from past experiences is a fundamental idea that has been lacking attention at different levels.
One particular example that would like to mention is from our visit of Iidate, a small village near Fukushima. During our time there, we felt the heavy atmosphere left after the radioactive contamination of the area. More precisely, we have seen how the local authorities piled up an incredible number of heavy bags containing radioactive waste on top of each other as a way to clean the soils. But on a similar note as with ocean dumping case, we can question what will happen next with these bags. While it is true that these two cases are very different, it still shows the idea that sometimes we move forward without a clean plan of action, which is very problematic. Meeting the requirements in terms of environmental sustainability does require countries to develop understandings of environmental issues as well as clear plans of actions. The tour guide at Iidate mentioned how the government itself did not know what to do next with the bags and lie to the population by saying that those areas are temporary ones. In my opinion, this is another example of the non acknowledgement of environmental problems that deeply affect local populations both physically and emotionally.
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