While appearing in South Australia earlier this month, renowned Canadian scientist and environmentalist David Suzuki told the state to let its indigenous tribes decide the fate of nuclear waste storage.
South Australia Sen. Sean Edwards has proposed a plan for the state to take in about 13 percent of the world’s nuclear waste, mostly from Asia, and dispose and store it for billions of dollars in revenue. Australia’s Nuclear Fuel Cycle Royal Commission delivered a glowing report on the plan last month, estimating that it could mean AUS $5 billion in annual state revenue over a 30-year period.
Suzuki, known for his radio and TV broadcasts on natural science, appeared at the 2016 WOMADelaide festival on March 12 in Adelaide. He told the crowd he had been peppered with questions about nuclear waste since his arrival in South Australia.
“The only group with any credibility on sustainability over thousands of years are the indigenous people everywhere,” Suzuki said. “To South Australians, all Australians, I say if you want to deal seriously with the issue of nuclear waste, let the Kaurna and other indigenous groups make the decisions. They’re the only ones that provide the viewpoint and the perspective to do it.”
