--- title: "Experts Warn UK Government Not to Bury Nuclear Waste Under Ocean Floor" description: "Please Don't In case you were wondering if it was environmentally sound to bury a massive stockpile of untreated nuclear waste beneath the ocean floor, the answer that many UK-based experts will likely give you is: probably not. But according to The Guardian, this is exactly what the UK government is planning to do — […]" date: "2022-07-30" modified: "2022-07-30" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/uk-bury-nuclear-waste-under-ocean-floor" categories: - "Energy" - "Nuclear Fusion" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "nuclear power" - "nuclear waste" - "the digest" - "uk" --- # Experts Warn UK Government Not to Bury Nuclear Waste Under Ocean Floor ![The UK government is planning to bury the world's largest stockpile of radioactive nuclear waste beneath the ocean floor, sparking concern among experts.]() *397828 08: The Sellafield nuclear reprocessing facility is seen November 26, 2001 in Cumbria, England. The plant is at the center of a legal dispute between the Irish and UK Governments following a decision to open a new MOX (mixed plutonium and uranium oxide) program here which will reprocess nuclear waste from around the world. The Irish Government claims the facility could release radiation into the Irish Sea. A decision is expected to be made December 7, 2001 by the European Court on the future of the site. (Photo by Graham Barclay/BWP Media/Getty Images) \Image: Getty Images/Graham Barclay\* ## Please Don't In case you were wondering if it was environmentally sound to bury a massive stockpile of untreated nuclear waste beneath the ocean floor, the answer that many UK-based experts will likely give you is: probably not. But [according to *T**he Guardian*](), that's exactly what the UK government is planning to do — and experts are begging them to reconsider, arguing that burying the waste beneath the seabed could devastate marine life in the short-term, and leave future generations with an even more serious environmental catastrophe to sort out. ## Whale Tale In a [press release](), the UK government says the goal is to find a "permanent solution for the UK's higher-activity radioactive waste," one that will keep the toxic sludge "safe and secure over the hundreds of thousands of years." As *The* *Guardian* reports, the UK currently boasts the largest reserve of untreated nuclear waste on the planet. There are about 750,000 cubic meters of the poisonous muck scheduled for "[geological disposal]()," a collection that contains roughly 110 American tons of plutonium. Seismic testing — which involves blasting the ocean floor with high-powered airguns — to determine whether an area off of England's Northwest coast will be suitable for the proposed facility [is to begin on Saturday](). But several marine experts are arguing that the seismic blasts are likely to harm much-beloved mammals including dolphins and whales. Why? Seismic testing [is seriously loud](), and has been shown to disturb mating and communicative patterns of these highly vocal sea creatures. After a round of Seismic testing [back in 2012](), for example, nearly 800 dolphins washed up dead on Peruvian shores. ## Long Term In regard to the impacts of the, ahem, noxious waste, other scientists are warning that [while the government has maintained its]() faith in the science that is, in essence, [locking radioactive trash behind a sub-seabed door]() and throwing away the key, nuclear waste is simply not that predictable. As David Blackburn, chair of an outfit called the Nuclear Free Local Authorities and leader of the Leeds city council Green Party group, told the *Guardian*: "Rather than solving a problem for future generations, it could be leaving them a legacy of a nuclear waste dump gradually releasing radioactivity into the environment and cutting off their options for deciding how to deal with this waste." **READ MORE:** *[Undersea nuclear waste dump off Cumbria would imperil marine life, experts warn]()* \[*The Guardian*\] **More on nuclear waste:** *[Massachusetts Residents Alarmed by Plan to Dump Radioactive Water into Ocean]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()