It was the worst nuclear disaster in history spewing thousands of tons of radioactive waste into the atmosphere and prompting the evacuation of more than 100,000 people. But thirty years after its reactor number four exploded in a pillar of radioactive smoke, the abandoned wasteland around the Chernobyl nuclear power station is one of the most important habitats for scientists studying native wildlife in Europe. “Thirty years ago, two things happened at once. The whole area was contaminated with radiation, and the human population vanished,” said professor Mike Wood, a Salford University naturalist, as he pushed plastic sampling sticks into a patch of irradiated earth. “That gives us a unique opportunity to compare the impacts of both.”
Telegraph 24th April 2016 read more »
Jan Haverkamp and Iryna Holovko: Thirty years on from Chernobyl, nuclear energy still accounts for more than half of Ukraine’s electricity. With vested interests dominating Ukraine’s energy market, what are the chances for a post-nuclear Ukraine?
Open Democracy 25th April 2016 read more »
How the Chernobyl disaster unfolded 30 years ago.
Daily Post 24th April 2016 read more »
‘The people feel forgotten’ – Revisiting Chernobyl 30 years on from the disaster.
ITV 24th April 2016 read more »
Haunting images reveal city 30 years after it was abandoned by 50,000 people because of Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Mirror 24th April 2016 read more »