On April 26, 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukraine exploded, precipitating the worst nuclear disaster in history. Now, on the twenty fifth anniversary of the explosion, it is worth revisiting this horrific episode and to reflect on the lessons we still have not learned.
On The Earth Productions and The NationOn April 26, 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukraine exploded, precipitating the worst nuclear disaster in history. Nuclear fallout rained over Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, and the nearby town of Pripyat had to be completely evacuated.
In 2006, On The Earth Productions went to Chernobyl to see the sarcophagus that surrounds the plant and to speak to those affected by the disaster. One guide explains that Pripyat was built to “service” the nuclear plant, and that the town bore the brunt of the radioactive fallout. At the Chernobyl museum, a guide who was born in the area explains that the soldiers who worked so hard to clean up and stabilize the situation in the aftermath of the disaster were some of the first victims of the radiation.
But could the disaster of Chernobyl happen again? In a revealing segment that echoes the unfolding crisis at Japan’s Fukushima plant, the museum guide explains that the plant was built on a fault line. It was not, she says, "so clever to build on unstable ground.”
—Kevin Gosztola
On The Earth ProductionsOn the Earth Productions (OTE) is a media production company that is dedicated to informing the public about important educational, environmental and political issues that affect our everyday lives. Our Educational Video Series is available from any library in the world through WorldCat.org. The series is housed at UW-Madison. The team at OTE is led by owner, Karen Rybold Chin.
The NationTwitterFounded by abolitionists in 1865, The Nation has chronicled the breadth and depth of political and cultural life, from the debut of the telegraph to the rise of Twitter, serving as a critical, independent, and progressive voice in American journalism.