Nuclear: think about it with Greenpeace

by Paolo Ghiga



The theme of energy sources has seen in recent months, rekindling interest in our country towards nuclear abandoned following the abrogative referendum of 8 – 9 November 1987. We must remember, however, that this vote did not require the closure of nuclear power stations but only the commitment not to build new. At that moment, perhaps still shaken by the disaster of Chernobyl, Ukraine Central, that leaded the victory of “no”, Italian people chose the abandonment and subsequent closure and decommissioning of four Italian Central then in service (Latina, Trino Vercellese, Corso e Garigliano). The project of dismantling and conversion has not yet been completed, with very high operating costs. Remember, also, that in July 2009 has been prepared by the national law of return to build nuclear plants on our territory. A kind of cat that bites its tail.

The environmental Association for excellence, Greenpeace, is not new to shocking media campaigns (just look at the spot, since March 2010, in defense of Orangutans in Indonesia was the famous snack produced by Kit kat, Nestlé, and palm oil, used in the food production industry, or the peaceful invasion of two "Orangutan" at the Salone del Libro di Torino in May 2010 in defense of the forests. In this case Greenpeace Italy began the offensive taking part to the debate around the feared return of nuclear power in Italy.

On You Tube you can view a brief but impactful video for once reverses the way of making information and protests of environmentalists: instead of dismay attributable to spot against Nestlé, the viewer will be accommodated at the short video, from an aerial view and overview of the Italian territory, in all its glory, driven by the theme in the background, a relaxing track where a plan harmonizes with the reflections calm and at the same time "stinging" commentator.

We are at home, but a slight smile ripples our lips, this time they have not hit the mark, we are almost thinking: the video continues, explaining how Italy has the solution to combat the decline in stocks of hydrocarbons and the plan is the revival of nuclear energy.

The images change, scroll frames of reactor number 4 of the Chernobyl explosion, crippled by the night of 26 April 1986, continuing with the enormous smokestacks wishy-washy, hyperbolic paraboloid shape, nuclear installations around the world, to pass through the storage of radioactive waste down in the bowels of the Earth, all while the vocals, persuasive, reminds us that we’ll abandon the oil to marry the uranium: we don’t smile now, in fact, the gaze rests on the signboard that said the denuclearisation of a municipality, which is now affixed to a radiation hazard warning where the first two letters are cancelled turning “denuclearisation” into “nuclearisation”. The video freezes on this still images.

A curiosity: the advertising agency that has made the spot, it is not contactable, her name is Top Secret, its clients could not accept the support of the Agency to the antinuclear campaign of Greenpeace.

"With this spot – explained Giuseppe Onufrio, Executive Director of Greenpeace Italy – we want to provide citizens with a tool to reflect on the problems of nuclear power in a country distracted by misleading slogan".

Greenpeace has again made the centre, with a subtle and caustic irony, which invites the Viewer to take time to reflect, because we have had enough and now we need to clarify once and for all.