ハワイ島の超大型望遠鏡「ＴＭＴ」、反対運動で建設遅れる

【ロサンゼルスＡＦＰ＝時事】米ハワイ島で、先住民の聖地である火山マウナケアの山頂に超大型天体望遠鏡「TMT」を建設する計画への反発が高まっている。天文学者らは、TMTの解像力はハッブル宇宙望遠鏡の10倍以上だと説明するが、抗議行動が拡大した影響で、工事の再開は数か月遅れている。（写真は国際宇宙ステーションから撮影したハワイの火山マウナケア）
　建設反対派は、総工費１４億ドル（約１５００億円）とされるＴＭＴプロジェクトが実施されると環境が破壊されかねないと主張し、建設予定地で座り込みを行った。俳優のドウェイン・ジョンソンさんやジェイソン・モモアさん、ミュージシャンのブルーノ・マーズさんといった有名人も抗議行動への支持を表明している。
　ＴＭＴの建設は度重なる抗議行動で遅れ、完成予定は２０２７年にずれ込んでいる。建設反対派の指導者らは、ＴＭＴは反対意見の少ないスペイン・カナリア諸島などの代替地に建設する余地があるはずで、これが実現すれば誰もが満足できると主張している。
　ただ、フランス人天文学者でＴＭＴプロジェクト運営トップのクリストフ・デュマ氏は、標高４２０５メートルで人里から離れ空が澄み切っているマウナケアは天体観測に適した世界有数の場所であり、ＴＭＴの「理想的な建設地であることに変わりはない」と話している。
　ハワイの現地語で「白い山」を意味するマウナケアには、すでに１２機関が１３基の天体望遠鏡を山頂やその周辺に設置しており、新たな発見や科学研究のよりどころとしている。科学者らはＴＭＴが建設されると、観測可能な宇宙の端で宇宙の初期に生まれた銀河が探索できるようになると期待する。
　超大型といっても、望遠鏡の１基増設でそれほど大きな変化が生じるのかと疑問を投げかける向きもあるが、ＴＭＴ建設に反対する人々は、もちろん大きな問題が生じると言う。
　ハワイ大学のグレッグ・チャンマウナケア管理事務局長は、「反対運動のリーダーたちと話をすると、（ＴＭＴが）大き過ぎるということだけでなく、マウナケアには天体望遠鏡が多過ぎると言ってくる」と話し、地元の人たちはマウナケアの開発への懸念を繰り返し表明してきたが、それが顧みられることはほとんどなかったと説明した。
　状況を見守っている多くの専門家は、マウナケアをめぐる議論は天体望遠鏡の問題を超え、過去にないがしろにされたことやハワイの植民地時代の負の遺産から一部の地元の人たちの心に深く根を下ろした怒りを表していると指摘している。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2019/09/30-09:15）

Anger is brewing on the Big Island of Hawaii over plans to build a giant telescope on a dormant volcano that is highly sacred to the region's native population.
For months, hundreds of protesters have delayed the start of construction on Mauna Kea volcano of the so-called Thirty Meter Telescope, or TMT, which astronomers say will have a dozen times the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope.
The demonstrators, who have converged on the site peacefully, argue that the $1.4 billion project would sit on a volcano that is sacred to Native Hawaiians and would harm the environment.
Celebrities like Dwayne Johnson, Jason Momoa and Bruno Mars have lent their support to the protesters.
What I realized today, and obviously I've been following this for years now, is that it's bigger than a telescope, Johnson, who lived in Hawaii as a child, reportedly said when he visited the site earlier this summer.
It's humanity. It's culture, he said.
Work on the project -- set to be completed by 2027 -- was supposed to start in 2015 but has been hampered by repeated protests.
Construction has been delayed for years because of this situation, Christophe Dumas, a French astronomer and head of operations at TMT, told AFP. The cost has also risen significantly... and the process to obtain a construction permit lasted 10 years.
Protest leaders say the consortium of scientists behind the project can build their scope on a less controversial site, including on a mountain in Spain's Canary Islands, where they say it would be a win-win situation for everyone.
Dumas argues, however, that Mauna Kea remains the ideal site in the Northern Hemisphere because of its altitude -- 13,796 feet (4,205 meters) above sea level -- as well as its remoteness and clear skies which make it one of the best places on the planet for astronomical observatories.
The new telescope, according to scientists, would enable astronomers to see forming galaxies at the very edge of the observable universe, near the beginning of time.
Already, Mauna Kea, which means White Mountain, is home to 13 telescopes housed in 12 facilities at or around the summit, which have been the source of a host of new discoveries and scientific studies.
Some question whether one more telescope -- albeit a giant one -- would make such a big difference.
The answer is a resounding yes from opponents.
- 'Enough is enough' -
I talked to the leaders of the opposition and they made it real clear that not only is it too big, but it's just one too many, said Greg Chun, executive director of Mauna Kea stewardship at the University of Hawaii. They tell me we have shared this mountain long enough. Enough is enough.
He said Native Hawaiians have repeatedly expressed concerns about the development of the mountain but their complaints have, for the most part, fallen on deaf ears.
Scientists began flocking to Mauna Kea after a tsunami in 1960 devastated communities along the base of the volcano and local authorities, in a bid to revive the economy, began a drive to attract astronomers.
From the very beginning, the development of astronomy has raised concerns about the development of the mountain, Chun said. So it's not something new.
But many observers say the Mauna Kea debate goes beyond just a telescope and reflects deep-seated resentment by some Native Hawaiians over past abuses and the legacy of colonialism in the Hawaiian islands.
Jonathan Osorio, an expert on Hawaiian culture and a longtime opponents of the planned telescope, insists that he and fellow protesters are not opposed to science but they object to telescopes being built on sacred land.
Dumas for his part argues that the telescope is being used as a tool to pressure authorities to seek more autonomy for the native population.
The telescope would not sit atop the mountain and will be visible from only a small section (14 percent) of the island, he said.
He said his team has gone to great lengths to respect local custom and tradition but the project now needs to urgently get off the ground.
We can't wait much longer and the next few weeks are going to be critical, he said.