The Windy City.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

ONKALO = hiding place

A radioactive tale with giddy perspectives Nuclear waste is produced daily and has been for 50 years. The need for CO2-neutral energy sources is likely to increase the production in the coming decades. So far, all nuclear waste is in interim storages - most of which are on the surface, vulnerable to natural or man-made disasters. Safe and permanent ways to store nuclear waste are vital, and the world's very first attempt at a permanent repository is presently being dug into solid rock in Finland. The facility must last 100.000 years and be able to withstand climate change, seismic activity, rising sea levels, erosion, and ground water leakages that could spread radioactive and radiotoxic contamination. However, while the past can help us predict physical and geological future scenarios, it offers little help when it comes to human behaviour and cultural scenarios. What do we know about society 100, 500 or 1000 years from now? How will society be structured and who will be in charge of the facility? After an ice age or two - will anybody remember that it is there? Will anybody understand the nature of its payload? Do we have a moral obligation to warn future generations of the waste we left behind? How? How and where do we store the warning? Hopefully, someone will have come up with some answers by the time the facility is finished - 120 years from now. With stunning images from the facility, thought provoking interviews with the experts dealing with these questions, and a film inside the film aimed at the future, Into Eternity will take us on a journey filled with wonder, humour, and deadly serious questions.

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