2023-11-02 08:41:23
Referendum on November 5, 1978 paved the way for clean and renewable electricity
Vienna (OTS) – “Since the disasters in Chernobyl and Fukushima, it has become clear how important the ‘no’ to the Zwentendorf nuclear power plant and to nuclear power was 45 years ago. It paved the way for us to use 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and made us a pioneer of the energy transition in the EU. This clear stance taken by Austria should be a model for other countries,” says Martin Litschauer, anti-nuclear spokesman for the Greens, on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the first referendum on the commissioning of the Zwentendorf nuclear power plant.
“A look at our neighboring countries and at the EU level unfortunately shows the exact opposite: under pressure from nuclear lobbyists, short-term corporate profits are being placed above the safety of the European population. Measures such as the taxonomy regulation and the recent reform of the EU electricity market are steering us in the wrong direction and are resulting in nuclear energy and natural gas being classified as sustainable (transitional) technologies. Because of fatal mistakes like these, highly dangerous nuclear energy is being subsidized with billions of taxpayers’ money instead of investing in the expansion of renewable energies and the further development of storage technologies,” Litschauer states.
“The negligent nuclear policy of individual states is a risk for all of us. Because as the disasters of the past have shown, radiation knows no national borders. There are currently nine nuclear power plants that are only between 40 and 200 kilometers from the Austrian border. For comparison: Chernobyl is 1,000 kilometers away,” warns Litschauer regarding the dangers of outdated nuclear power plants and new construction projects in Austria’s neighboring countries.
In order to commemorate this important anniversary of the referendum and the birth of the Greens, a storytelling café by the Green Future Academy FREDA will take place in the Volkskundemuseum Vienna on Sunday, November 5th from 6:30 p.m. Exciting contemporary witnesses and incumbent Green Party politicians look back on this historic moment in the Austrian environmental movement. Martin Litschauer will speak on the topic “The current situation of nuclear power in Europe” and will be available to answer questions.
Questions & Contact:
Green Club in Parliament
+43-1 40110-6317
presse@gruene.at
1698914663
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