Earth is gravely ill, and we must all now be physicians to the ailing planet. Otherwise we leave our children nothing. We can, however, stop global warming. We can stop coal mining. We can stop fracking. We can stop wasting electricity. We can do better than to manufacture plutonium just so that we can boil water at any time of the day. We can cover over parking lots around the nation with solar panels and have solar-powered electric cars. We can turn to solar, wind, and geothermal power for our energy needs.
Our sense of entitlement is extraordinary. We waste up to 30 percent of our electricity, yet ask most people where their electricity comes from and they do not have a clue. Nor would they know that if, for instance, we were all to stop using clothes dryers, it would save almost the same amount of energy as that produced by nuclear power. What we need to do is to educate people through the media; to give doctors and scientists a platform to analyze and expound upon the data; to teach people to think about the way we live and the consequences of nuclear power; and above all, to seriously think about how to save our children. America has become as wealthy as it is not only because of its natural resources but also because of the ingenuity of its people. America can easily show Earth what an energy-responsible nation can do, and it could take pride in its achievements. But for that, there needs to be a revolution, and that revolution has to come from you.
References
10: WHAT THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY, AND INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION HAVE FALSIFIED BY ALEXEY V. YABLOKOV
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11: CONGENITAL MALFORMATIONS IN RIVNE, UKRAINE BY WLADIMIR WERTELECKI
Dancause, Kelsey Needham, Lyubov Yevtushok, Serhiy Lapchenko, Ihor Shumlyansky, Genadiy Shevchenko, Wladimir Wertelecki, and Ralph M. Garruto. “Chronic Radiation Exposure in the Rivne-Polissia Region of Ukraine: Implications for Birth Defects.” American Journal of Human Biology 22, no. 5 (2010): 667–74, doi:10.1002/ajhb.21063.
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18: CANCER RISK FROM EXPOSURE TO LOW LEVELS OF IONIZING RADIATION BY HERBERT ABRAMS
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About the Contributors
HERBERT ABRAMS is emeritus professor of radiology at Stanford University and a member of the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR) Committee of the National Academy of Sciences.
ROBERT ALVAREZ is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies.
DAVID BRENNER is the Higgins Professor of Radiation Biophysics at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University.
IAN FAIRLIE is a radiation biologist and an independent consultant on radiation risks. He is also the former scientific secretary to the British government’s Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters.
CINDY FOLKERS is a specialist in radiation and health for Beyond Nuclear.
DAVID FREEMAN is the former chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the former general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the New York Power Authority, and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.