An interview with Tilman A Ruff, Australian head of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). At Jadugoda in East Singhbhum, Jharkhand, he observed a human settlement perilously close to the mines of Uranium Corporation of India.
Tilman A Ruff, Australian head of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), was in India in November. At Jadugoda in East Singhbhum, Jharkhand, he observed a human settlement perilously close to the mines of Uranium Corporation of India. He spoke to Alok Gupta

Why do you oppose mining of radioactive minerals when they can generate nuclear power?

Nuclear power is not a long-term solution to electricity shortage. There is a limited stock of uranium and other radioactive metals on the planet. At the current rate of extraction, this stock will last barely a few decades. Radioactive minerals either go into the making of nuclear bombs or end up as waste. There is no scientific method to manage nuclear waste. This waste will harm the environment for billions of years. Solar and wind power are more viable options.

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