Forty years ago, a reactor exploded in the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in what was then the Soviet Republic of Ukraine. At least 30 people were killed in the immediate aftermath. The large amounts of radioactive particles released as a result of the explosion travelled in clouds across Ukraine, Belarus and Russia and then spread to other parts of Europe. It is estimated that tens of thousands have died since then due to radioactive exposure that triggered lethal diseases, including cancer. The frequency of birth defects increased between 200 and 250 percent in affected areas. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to abandon their homes. Chornobyl is not history. It is a lived reality of radioactive contaminated land that cannot be farmed, homes that cannot be returned to, thousands of people with lasting health impacts, and costs that continue to mount across generations. The lesson is clear.…