Galapagos face environmental threat Although the dumping of radioactive wastes AT sea (from ships, aircraft and other man-made structures at sea) is prohibited by the London and OSPAR Conventions, routine discharges of radioactive wastes into the marine environment from the nuclear report accessing facilities at La Hague (France), Sellafield (NW England) and Dounreay (Northern Scotland) continue, despite strong evidence of environmental damage.

However, The UK and France were isolated by a decision taken on June 29 2000 calling for an end to nuclear reprocessing and the implementation of dry storage at the annual meeting of the OSPAR Convention, in Copenhagen.

The legally-binding decision adopted by OSPAR says "that the current authorisations for discharges or releases of radioactive substances from nuclear reprocessing facilities shall be reviewed as a matter of priority by their competent national authorities with a view to, inter alia, implementing the non-reprocessing option (for example, dry storage) for spent nuclear fuel management at appropriate
facilities."

Greenpeace International Political Director Remi Parmentier said: "This is a decisive moment with far reaching consequences, never before has such a strong message been sent by so many countries calling for an end to reprocessing. This truly isolates the UK and France."

"The UK and France will argue that they are not bound by a decision that they did not support, but in reality they are politically and publicly isolated if they continue to pollute the oceans against the wishes of their neighbouring countries, and the public. The truth is that they will now have to stop nuclear reprocessing sooner than later."

Nuclear OSPAR 2000 campaign website