This story was originally Featured on Grist and part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
Ariana Tibon is In 2017, while attending the University of Hawaii, I saw the photo online. It was a black and white photo of a man holding a baby. His caption read: “March 2, 1954, two days after 'Bravo', Nelson Unjain has his baby monitored by members of the AEC RadSafe team in Rongelap.”
Tibon had never seen the man before. However, she recognized her name as belonging to her great-grandfather. He was living in Rongelap, Marshall Islands, at the time the United States conducted Castle Bravo, the largest of the 67 nuclear weapons tests conducted there during the Cold War. This testing dispossessed indigenous peoples, made them sick, poisoned fish, upended traditional eating habits, and caused cancer and other negative health effects that continue to be felt today. .
A federal report released last month by the Government Accountability Office examined lingering nuclear contamination in the Pacific Ocean as well as in Greenland and Spain. The authors conclude that climate change could disrupt nuclear waste left behind in Greenland and the Marshall Islands. “Rising sea levels could increase contamination in the RMI, and inconsistent risk assessments have left residents distrustful of radiation information from the U.S. Department of Energy,” the report said.
In Greenland, chemical contamination and radioactive liquids, leftovers from a nuclear power plant at a U.S. military research base where scientists were studying the possibility of installing nuclear missiles, are frozen in an ice sheet. The report is unclear about where and how nuclear contamination might move in the Pacific Ocean or Greenland, and what if it could pose a health risk to people living nearby. I haven't done it. However, the authors noted that Greenland could be exposed to frozen waste by 2100.
“It could have an impact on the environment, which could further impact the food chain, which could also impact the people living in the area,” said Hjalmar Dahl, president of the Greenland Circumpolar Inuit Council. Stated. The country is approximately 90 percent Inuit. “I think it's important that the Greenlandic and U.S. governments communicate about this worrying issue and prepare what to do about it.”
The authors of the GAO study said Greenland and Denmark have not proposed cleanup plans, but also cited research showing that much of the nuclear waste is already decaying and will be diluted by melting ice. . But those studies pointed out that chemical waste such as polychlorinated biphenyls, carcinogenic man-made chemicals known as PCBs, “may be the most significant waste at Camp Century.” .
The report summarizes disagreements between Marshall Islands officials and the U.S. Department of Energy regarding the risks posed by U.S. nuclear waste. GAO recommends that a communication strategy be adopted to inform the people of the Marshall Islands about potential contamination.
Government Accountability Office Director Nathan Anderson said the United States' responsibilities in the Marshall Islands are “defined by specific federal laws and international agreements.” He noted that the Marshall Islands government had previously agreed to settle claims related to damage caused by U.S. nuclear tests.
“It is the long-standing position of the U.S. government that, pursuant to the agreement, the Republic of the Marshall Islands assumes full responsibility for its land, including land used for nuclear testing programs.''
For Tibon, who has returned home to the Marshall Islands and now chairs the National Atomic Energy Commission, the fact that the report's only recommendation is a new communications strategy is puzzling. She doesn't see how that will help the people of Marshall.
“What we need now is action and implementation for environmental remediation. We don't need a communication strategy,” she said. “If we knew they were contaminated, why didn't we recommend next steps for environmental remediation and what could be done to make these lands safe and habitable for communities?” Is not it?”
The Biden administration recently agreed to fund the construction of a new museum commemorating victims of nuclear testing and climate change efforts in the Marshall Islands, an effort that is part of an ongoing treaty. However, it has repeatedly failed to gain parliamentary support. It aligns with broader national security efforts to strengthen relations with the Marshall Islands and goodwill in the Pacific to counter China.