CHERNOBYL -2008: REMEMBER THE PAST, THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE
For two days – April 25-26 - Kiev hosted the Kiev International Environmental Forum – KIEF 2008. About 170 participants from 20 countries of Europe and Middle Asia actively participated in the KIEF Second Conference "Environmental Security - Base of National Security". Comprehensive discussion of Chernobyl catastrophe and its consequences was held during the Forum's second day – April 26th.
"Chernobyl means 2 million victims, 160 thousand settlers, more than 40 thousand dead and millions of mothers gripped by permanent fear for their children's health" said Yuri Scherbak, Doctor of Medical Sciences and Professor, President of Vernadskyi Institute for Sustainable Development. Yuri Scherbak also stressed that Chernobyl catastrophe resulted in weakening the might of the Soviet system and led to the creation of environmental organizations and parties in opposition to the power such as "Zelenyi Swit" (Green World) and Party of Greens of Ukraine
Forum participants sharply criticized state officials who despite Chernobyl "experience" since 1986 had been trying to impose again a nuclear path of development for Ukraine. Delegates did not only condemn nuclear way of "solving" climate and energy problems but presented alternative ways of development for their countries, first of all based on renewables and energy efficiency.
Besides, on April 26th there were round tables "Ukraine is nuclear free" organized in some regions of Ukraine. In the evening Green activists also went along central streets of Kyiv with candles in their hands commemorating victims of Chernobyl disaster.
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