Dr. Helen Caldicott On War, Climate Crisis, Nuclear Power.


By Jerry Alatalo

mountain44Alphabet Australian physician and world-renowned, long-time peace and anti-nuclear activist Helen Caldicott is approaching 80 years old. In a recent interview with Regis Tremblay she described her view of the current condition on Earth: “The planet is in the intensive care unit”.

In particular, she stresses the urgency of addressing three (3) major international issues: 1) today’s profound threat of nuclear war – the need to abolish nuclear weapons, 2) climate change – the need for massive ramping up of renewable energy, and 3) stopping production of radioactive waste – shutting down all nuclear power plants on Earth.

While sharing her deep concerns over the provocative, worrisome developments between NATO member states and Russia – particularly her view that no politicians besides Russia’s Putin and Cuba’s Castro are speaking to highly dangerous nature of the situation, advising restraint and serious diplomacy – one wonders what inner resources Dr. Caldicott has turned to when dealing with such heavy-duty, spiritually and/or psychologically challenging subjects over the decades.

As she is an acknowledged expert on nuclear power and weapons, on another subject one wonders again where Helen Caldicott finds the inner strength to fight on instead of throwing in the towel, and that is Fukushima. In this interview, she confirms what every person concerned with Fukushima since the disaster occurred on 3/11/2011 considers the “worst case scenario”: three (3) total reactor meltdowns from early on, a government/industry coverup of historic proportion, pouring of 400 tons of radioactive water per day into the Pacific Ocean since the disaster, and no hope of remedy or stoppage of deadly radioactive fission emissions “…until the end of time”.

As mentioned, Helen Caldicott expresses her dismay that no politicians are addressing the current extreme, alarming situation on Earth with the triple-threat of nuclear war, climate change and nuclear power. As she stresses the point that it is politicians in the United States who need to act swiftly and decisively on these three major issues, one comes to contrast and compare her views with the four (4) remaining candidates for President to see which one’s positions/proposals correspond with hers.

It seems clear and certain that Dr. Helen Caldicott’s views and proposed solutions on these very grave matters most closely mirror those of Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein. If the world-famous peace/anti-nuclear activist Helen Caldicott came out and gave her strong public endorsement of Jill Stein for President, it would give a great boost to Dr. Stein’s campaign – considered a “long-shot” for winning the election.

Beginning in the late 1970’s, activist Helen Caldicott traveled, organized and spoke across the United States and, almost single-handed/alone – in a very short period, transformed the American people from pro-nuclear to anti-nuclear in their perceptions – capped off with the largest anti-nuclear rally (the largest rally, period) in history of one million people in New York City. With so many years of activism and nearing the age of 80, one couldn’t blame Dr. Caldicott for stepping off the accelerator and slowing down just a bit. It’s likely she would strongly endorse Jill Stein for President and work hard to get her elected were it twenty or thirty years ago.

While many around the world admire, respect and thank Dr. Helen Caldicott for all of her sincere efforts over the years on behalf of humanity, there is no invention for stopping the passage of time. Jill Stein would surely welcome Helen Caldicott’s support with open arms and fully understand her age-related, less hectic schedule.

At the end of the interview Dr. Caldicott spoke words both extremely disheartening and ultimately challenging. “You want to ask me the prognosis?… Like I have to tell sometimes patients that have leukemia, and their prognosis is six months? …And help them with their grief?”

“The prognosis is not good, I’m sorry to say.” 

Still… between now and Election Day November 8 is a time for great optimism – and great activism. There are 13 million or so highly energized Americans aged 45 and younger ready, willing and able to carry on the “Green” political revolution. 

(Thank you to Regis Tremblay at YouTube)

 

12 thoughts on “Dr. Helen Caldicott On War, Climate Crisis, Nuclear Power.

  1. It’s good to hear the truth Jerry, and to meditate on a sound diagnosis. I always heed her counsel, but despite Dr Caldicott’s pessimistic pragmatism, we should also remind ourselves that human knowledge is culturally determined and incremental at best.

    Human beings have harnessed this potent, primal star energy in a way that is reminiscent of Disney’s ‘Apprentice.’ We simply do not know enough about Nature yet to prognosticate or even divine the future and the consequences of our precocious designs.

    In a sense, all science is actually an exercise in occult prognostication; so the cognate notion of divination should not really phase us so much as a potentially legitimate methodology or way of interrogating consciousness and its objects. My view is we should trust implicitly in our ancestral instinct ~ in that innate spiritual intuition that informs our deepest convictions, in enduring sacred instinct that is finally, supra-rational.

    We have released & unleashed the occult power of these trans-uranic elements, without understanding how Nature may best reabsorb their enormous energy. So from this perspective, Fukushima is the gravest and most grotesque planetary experiment ever devised; and all our radioactive by-products and waste contaminants are potentially unprecedented, potential case studies.

    This does not diminish the horror, but it may allow us the opportunity to pause and think more profoundly about what it all means. One thing Einstein made clear, was that nothing in Nature moves in a straight line forever. Every trajectory is only an incidence of a the infinite spiral dance that opens to the mystery of the cosmos.

    I do not intend to present a sophist interpretation of a truly dire condition; but it may just be that our coherent understanding of fractal scales and subtler energies communicating an abiding sense of the sacred forces of indestructible life, and the limitless potential of supra-rational intelligence, may as yet, only have temporarily eluded us.

    So perhaps if we were a little more honest, a little less arrogant and a lot more attentive, we might gain back in wisdom what we have so prematurely squandered through our eager, naive and criminally destructive folly ~ a species with a broken heart and a swollen head.

    Like

    1. David,
      Thank you for your always widely-considering efforts at articulating current world affairs. Indeed, you are correct in stating the positive results of taking the opportunity to “pause and think more profoundly about what it all means”. Is it possible that the end evolutionary state, and perhaps the ultimate extension and/or more powerful version of your suggestion, is to “think ONLY about what it all means”? Most likely you’d agree this points to the theory that all is one in spirit, and that successful efforts in resolving problems on Earth, in the time each has between birth and transition to the next world, will only be spiritual. This idea aligns with your words about sacred forces only temporarily eluding us. May it be that the temporary condition is coming to an end. Thank you, David. Peace.

      Like

      1. Thank you Jerry for a fulsome response, gracious as ever.

        I thought I’d just mention I was reminded this morning on a BBC Radio 4 prog ‘Inside Science’ of the 2015 NASA initiative http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-nexss-coalition-to-lead-search-for-life-on-distant-worlds ~ & that according to the last estimates (from 3 years ago evidently) there are thought to be something like 40 billion, yes billion, ‘Earth-like’ planets in our ‘home’ galaxy alone….that was enough for me, just to contemplate this ~ not much more I can say really!

        Like

        1. Yes, the expansiveness of the universe, with the planet Earth like a speck of dust in it, is jaw-dropping to think about. Then, multiply the 40 billion Earth-like planets in this galaxy by the millions of other galaxies and in short measure one comes upon some “significant” numbers. 🙂 Coming from such a perspective and emphasizing it would aid in encouraging and/or growing awareness in people of oneness, unity, the spiritual dimension, eternity, etc., and lift discussions on humanity’s challenges to the much higher levels seemingly necessary for real and positive evolution. In the book of life on Earth, in the year 2016 mankind needs to understand the chapters about problems have been exhaustively covered. It’s time to turn the page and start the next chapter – the one on real solutions.

          Like

  2. Pingback: Dr. Helen Caldicott On War, Climate Crisis, Nuclear Power. | canisgallicus

  3. Very sobering video. Physician and peace and anti-nuclear activist Helen Caldicott speaks so matter of factly. Medical metaphors make her message easy to grasp. But I think people will need to revolt all over the world to get politicians to take quick and adequate measures to combat the climate crisis. What can we all boycott or do in unison to force them to take action?

    Like

  4. Reblogged this on and commented:
    Everyone is for cancer research and treatment. Yet how absurd is that — when nuclear war, climate crisis, and radioactive pollution pose a much greater threat to all of mankind? Thanks to Jerry “Peacemaker for sharing this video with physician and peace/anti-nuclear activist Helen Caldicott. She says the Earth’s prognosis is NOT good.

    Like

    1. Stuart,
      While she traveled America in the 1980’s was in the audience when she spoke at Northern Michigan University, and the mesmerizing nature of the talk, where one could “hear a pin drop” throughout, was an unforgettable experience. Her history-altering accomplishments in the nuclear arena serve as an excellent example for today’s younger generation. Thank you.

      Like

    1. MMN,
      Thank you… Hoping Dr. Caldicott’s important message will inform/benefit your readers; she reinforces Dr. Jill Stein’s statement “…to vote like our lives depend on it, because they do.”

      Like

Comments are closed.