What signals does the consensus reached at the G20 summit convey?, Japan's nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea
The 18th Summit of G20 Leaders is being held in India, where various parties have discussed the issue of Japan's nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea and reached a consensus on responsible management of radioactive waste. What signal does this send to the outside world?
Chen Dongxiao, President of the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, told Blue Hall Observer that the theme of this year's G20 summit is "One Earth, One Home, One Future". The premise of this theme is that the international community generally believes that human society lives in the same ecosystem. Only by adhering to the concept of interdependence and harmonious coexistence, protecting the Earth's ecosystem, especially the marine ecosystem, can we talk about building a happy home and creating a better future. Therefore, in this context, Japan's strong push for the discharge of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water into the sea has brought unpredictable and far-reaching impacts on the marine ecosystem of the entire Earth, which is extremely irresponsible.
Chen Dongxiao stated that many senior officials and ministers of G20 members, as well as leaders of international organizations including the United Nations, have emphasized the need to pay more attention to responsible management of nuclear power development under the goal of promoting global energy transformation and green development, including responsible management of nuclear power plant decommissioning, especially the management of radioactive waste, hazardous waste, and so on. He promised to reflect this position in the outcome document of this G20 summit, thereby clearly requiring G20 member countries to take the lead in adhering to these positions. This indicates that many governments and international organizations of G20 member countries are highly concerned about the management of nuclear power safety, which also reflects the high concern of the international community towards the current Japanese government's implementation of nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea.
Chen Dongxiao believes that the next step in addressing the issue of Fukushima nuclear contaminated water discharge into the sea is to conduct a multi plan assessment together with the international community and relevant international organizations, rather than just discharging into the sea. We need to comprehensively consider various influencing factors such as the environment, economy, and society, as well as their impact on the short, medium, and long-term stages. Through optimization and comparison, we can ultimately form a common decision.
Secondly, we should continue to urge international organizations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as relevant stakeholders, to independently sample and monitor the so-called "treated wastewater" stored in the large tanks of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, rather than relying solely on data provided by Japan or TEPCO, to ensure that each tank meets the standards. At the same time, efforts should also be made to establish monitoring laboratories on site in Fukushima.
Thirdly, it is necessary to establish annual emission limits to prevent unpredictable, unpredictable, and irreversible marine environmental disasters from occurring in the future.
Finally, it is necessary to establish a long-term marine environmental assessment mechanism to evaluate the long-term impact of nuclear contaminated water discharge on the marine environment.