In October 1997 the IAEA is celebrating its 40th Anniversary. It is celebrating the fact that it has spent 40 years encouraging the global spread of nuclear technology. At the time of the IAEA s establishment many thought that nuclear power would become the technology of the future. These euphoric statements are a painful reminder of the ignorance and naivety that existed 40 years ago surrounding nuclear power. The early pioneers of nuclear technology have since been proven wrong time and time again.
Nuclear power is an abject failure, it is uneconomic, dirty and dangerous.
This calendar illustrates just one reason why nuclear power should be scrapped - the danger of accidents. Many people remember the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine in 1986 which spread radioactive contamination across Europe, and the panic following the near disaster at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in the United States. However, these are just two of the thousands of accidents which have occurred since the IAEA began 40 years ago. In fact this calendar shows that every day is an anniversary of an accident or incident involving nuclear energy. As a result of these accidents thousands have died, or will die in the future, and millions of people have been contaminated.