Critical experts' conference on nuclear waste. Stockholm, June 1-3
The Swedish anti-nuclear movement needs immediate practical support. A decision of vital importance for the movement worldwide is about to be taken in Stockholm.
The Swedish coalition government (the anti-nuke Centre, plus Conservatives and Liberals) has made further nuclear development contingent upon a satisfactory solution to waste management and storage. Now two applications have been put in for licences to run nuclear power stations. The government must decide.
The nuclear industry has commissioned an $11 mi. Nuclear Fuel Safety Project. This may not be tested in public hearings. The governments of Finland and Denmark will take the decision of Sweden's anti-nuke prime minister as a precedent - one way or the other. So the Swedish anti-nuke movement is holding:
- its own Critical Experts' Conference. It needs your help to contact critical experts on waste reprocessing, glassification, plutonium control, intermediate storage, and storage in bedrock - and to pay their fares.
- a Stockholm Anti-Nuclear Parade, on June 3. Send delegations from local groups and/or national anti-nuke organisations.
- a camp for activists, after the parade. Say who is coming, and their fields of interest.
Reply now to Folkkampanjen mot Atomkraft. c/o Ekoteket, Tjarhovsgatan 44 S-1 16 29 Stockholm
Declaration of intent
Reasons for an information service
Opposition to nuclear energy is becoming a world-wide trans-national movement. it is the most advanced manifestation so far of a broad movement of opinion against a technocratic, centralised, authoritarian, undemocratic form of society. Its strength and originality lies in the direct involvement of citizens, many previously uncritical or inactive, in deciding about things that affect them.
But the forces behind the nuclear option already operate at the international level (industry and governments). It is therefore high time for the movement to organise a flow of information and experience that can enable its action to be more effective and better coordinated. This is also needed for the development of the positive side of the movement; the elaboration and promotion of viable alternatives (renewable energy sources, other patterns of energy consumption).
Functions of the service
To serve the movement, in particular by the transmission of information and the promotion of direct contact within the movement.
For reasons of effectivness (concentration of limited resources) and clarity, its field of action is limited to energy, taken in the broadest sense (e.g. activities and methods of the antinuclear movement, implications for employm6nt of different patterns of energy production and consumption, world wide activities of the nuclear industry ...).
The prime aim is to ensure the flow of information that is relevant to action (e.g. material for legal and political presentation of the anti-nuclear case; practical experience of alternative energies; information on impact, dangers, problems, etc. of the nuclear industry ...).
Information will be made available both in response to specific requests and in the form of a regular publication available to all.
It shall be a ruling principle of the service to avoid any monopoly or centralisation of information. Thus it will seek to promote and facilitate direct contacts and information exchange within the movement, across all barriers (geographical, linguistic, political, etc.), and not to centralise or canalise contacts.
The service must be flexible to respond to the immediate priorities of the movement (e.g. contacts, international press coverage, in liaison with the preparation and follow up of an international demonstration) but never at the expense of its obligation to serve the movement as a whole througout the world.
The service will require a permanent team able to ensure communication in the widest possible range of languages (in particular English, French, German). The statute of the service must ensure its independence from all political or ideological allegiance, inside or outside the movement.
(signed in Brussels, November 1977 annexed to the statutes of WISE, February 1978)
About WISE
The need for better cross-frontier contact and communication has been increasingly obvious to many of us in the anti-nuke and safe energy movement. The idea of a newsletter of some kind came up regularly at all our international meetings.
In the summer of 1977, it was discussed in detail by groups attending very differents meetings: at a conference on nonviolence in Guernavaca (Mexico) and one on "ecology and European elections" in Bergisch-Gladbach (FGR), The catalyst was the news thatindependentfunds might beavailable via the sales of the Smiling Sun emblem.
A working group was set up, with an informal mandate from the two conferences. Thosetaking part had all been involvedin crossfrontier work, in the energymovement, the non-violentmovement or in the alternative press. In November those who had given the mandate, and others interested, met in Brussels to discuss the project. Nearly 70 people attended. Many of them signed a "declaration of intent" about setting up a "World Information Service on Energy — WISE". They also approved the main outlines of its statutes.
The preparatory group, enlarged, went on working, and calleda founding meeting in Amsterdam in February 1978. Every effort was made to invite allthe branches of the movement. Nearly 200 people attended, and WISE was formally established. An 8-person Council was appointed.
The potential work for WISE, at the service of the world-wide movement, is unlimited. We are determined to start up slowlyand cautiously, as resources allow. In any case, WISEmUstbe essentially a switch-board, helping people to communicate, to make contact and thus to work together. What we can achieve will depend above all on active support from the movement.
The aim is for WISE to be financed from a wide range of sources: subscriptions, supporters' dues, funds from various foundations. Initially, we start thanks to the backing of the Smiling Sun Foundation.
This WISE newspaper is only one part of planned WISE activities. The aim is a fortnightly: this year we shall bring out two before the summer, then four more. But they will a/ready be in French, German and English, with a separate printing in North America. Another function is to promote contact among those engaged in particular aspects of the movement. We start with a trial run on uranium mining. Another move planned is better contact with and between the movement press. For all this we need active support. Please help, and ask others to do the same.
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