Friends of the Earth India
On March 11, we remember the devastating nuclear disaster at Fukushima in 2011. Fifteen years later, the tragedy continues to remind the world that nuclear energy is neither safe nor sustainable. The Fukushima disaster displaced thousands of people, contaminated land and water, disrupted livelihoods, and left long-lasting impacts on communities, public health, and ecosystems. Along with the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, Fukushima stands as a stark warning about the risks and irreversible consequences of nuclear power.
Yet, despite these painful lessons, we are witnessing a renewed push for nuclear energy globally. Governments and corporations are increasingly promoting nuclear power as a “clean” and “climate-friendly” solution to the energy crisis. New proposals such as Small and Modular Reactors (SMRs) are being marketed as innovative alternatives, while international financial institutions like the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank are reconsidering their earlier restrictions and moving toward financing nuclear projects. This shift represents a worrying direction in global energy policy.
In Asia and the Pacific, several countries are reconsidering or expanding nuclear programmes, often without meaningful consultation with affected communities. At the same time, the voices and experiences of people who live with the consequences of nuclear disasters, uranium mining, radioactive waste, and nuclear power plants continue to be ignored. Framing nuclear power as a “clean” or “renewable” solution is a dangerous and misleading narrative that diverts attention from truly just, democratic, and sustainable energy alternatives.
In India too, the government has announced a new Nuclear Energy Mission, allocating around ₹20,000 crore to accelerate nuclear expansion and proposing Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in 14 locations across the country. Despite the devastating lessons of Fukushima and Chernobyl, the government is aggressively pushing nuclear expansion while also attempting to open the sector to private operators and corporate interests. This dangerous move places corporate profit above people’s safety, democratic oversight, and ecological protection, and must be collectively challenged and resisted.
Fukushima Remembrance Day is therefore not only a moment to remember, but also a time to reaffirm our collective commitment to challenge the expansion of nuclear energy and to stand in solidarity with affected communities around the world.
In this context, Friends of the Earth India is launching a campaign from March 11 to April 26, marking the anniversaries of the Fukushima and Chernobyl disasters. As part of this campaign, we will publish a series of articles from anti-nuclear activists and experts, release campaign posters and short notes on key nuclear issues, and organize discussions that highlight the lessons from past disasters and the risks of the current nuclear push.
On this Fukushima Remembrance Day, Friends of the Earth India is also releasing a handbook titled “SHANTI OR SHAM? Exposing India’s Corporate Nuclear Push and Defending People, Democracy & Ecology (A Critical Guide to the SHANTI Bill and Its Impact on Communities, Rights and the Environment).” The handbook critically examines the proposed SHANTI Bill and its implications for communities, democratic processes, and ecological protection, while also serving as a resource for people’s movements and civil society groups resisting nuclear projects across India.
Friends of the Earth India calls upon civil society organizations, people’s movements, researchers, students, and concerned citizens to join this campaign, engage in discussions, and amplify the voices of communities affected by nuclear projects and disasters.
Remembering Fukushima means learning from its lessons and ensuring that such tragedies are never repeated. A just and sustainable energy future must be built on safe, decentralized, and people-centered alternatives — not on dangerous and costly nuclear power.
*Friends of the Earth India*
March 11, 2026