Trial verdict / FILM Phlippe Arson - département audiovisuel du siège du CNRS 2011
Nuclear Trial Verdict
“Nuclear energy banished from Earth.
Renewable
energies declared free to serve the public
and a society of temperance, solidarity
and joy!”
PHOTO Martin Leers 2011
We the jury, having listened to the cases made by the parties, and having deliberated in due process, in anonymity, during this historic trial – relocated to Toulouse 66 years after the explosion of the first atomic bomb in Hiroshima on 6 August 1945,
We hereby find NUCLEAR ENERGY, both civil and military, GUILTY AS CHARGED
This landmark decision, which we hereby submit to you the people and your local representatives at the Court of La Chapelle in Toulouse, strikes us as necessary in order to enable the following:
• As quickly as possible, to eliminate the unnecessary risks to which the nuclear industry exposes the people on earth today and future generations.
• To pave the way to a society with values based not only on market laws and materialistic consumption, but on fraternity, fairness and liberty, a spirit of temperance, shared joy of living and respect for life in all of its forms.
• By adopting this society of temperance, to avoid an ecological catastrophe which would cause humankind to cease to exist.
• To keep unprecedented tensions between the peoples of the world, due to inequality, from triggering World War III, with the risk of wiping humanity off the face of the earth, considering that today some 10,000 nuclear warheads are distributed indiscriminately throughout the world.
We were extremely attentive to the arguments presented by the defence with regard to climate change, energy autonomy and the development of new technologies.
At present, we do not have adequate solutions in any of these areas, and the solutions proposed for the future are not realistic. Furthermore, given the enormous risks to which our society is exposed as a result of nuclear energy, continuing these activities simply cannot be justified.
We have every faith in our scientists’ ability to find brilliant solutions, and we would like to see them concentrate all of their efforts on developing energy-saving technologies and ecologically optimised systems for harnessing the renewable energies, which are, as their name suggests, unlimited.
Having heard the prosecution’s indictment :
• Whereas nuclear energy is not a viable solution: it does not resolve the energy problem, will not significantly slow global warming, and worse, is actually highly sensitive to the effects of climate change,
• Whereas nuclear energy is absolutely not economically viable, and that millions and billions (of euros) are diverted into research in areas that are simply not promising,
• Whereas the nuclear industry produces large quantities of waste that stays radioactive for a very, very long time, and which we do not know how manage,
• Whereas nuclear energy poses a threat to the life of our fellow citizens, and imposes unacceptable working conditions on the numerous workers sacrificed to this sector,
• Whereas in spite of the constant collusion between the civil and military nuclear sectors, the French government, for purely economic reasons, continues to relentlessly promote the sale of power plants to political regimes which are questionable to say the least, such as Libya for example.
• Whereas realistic solutions for phasing out nuclear energy exist but are systematically concealed, discredited and mocked by the nuclear lobby.
We the jury find nuclear energy, in all of its forms, guilty as charged :
First, we hereby sentence all major players in the nuclear industry to leave their ivory tower and immediately begin dismantling all of their civil and military nuclear facilities.
Second, we decree that the International Atomic Energy Agency (AIER) be dissolved and replaced by the International Renewable Energy Agency, which will abolish the prevailing centralised operating system in order to decentralise its operations through a rhizome-like network of small units.
Third, we sentence all national nuclear agencies to verify that the power plant dismantling and nuclear weapon destruction operations are executed properly, and to convert their organisations to alternative energy frameworks.
Fourth, we sentence all players and investors in the nuclear sector to focus their efforts and funds on developing new energy-saving technologies and systems for harnessing renewable energies adapted to small-scale operations.
