Washington Post- discusses the thoughts of other countries nuclear programs. Some nations are changing their ideas of nuclear power while others think it is business as usual. What do you think will happen to nuclear power after this? How will the larger national markets drive these decisions?
While I think the anxiety provoked by the disaster in Japan is understandable, it is urgent for all nations to develop alternatives to coal and oil, including nuclear. Nuclear technology has moved on since the days of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. It's possible today to build plants that are much safer and that produce far less waste. Of course, solar, wind, and other non-fossil energy sources need to be developed as well.
ReplyDeleteHistory shows that there nuclear energy has proven to be far less dangerous in the short term than most other types of energy. The question for me is are we creating a by product that we don't know how to deal with. We are a society that seems to be driven by short term interests and needs often at the expense of long term implications.
ReplyDeleteAs horrifying as it is, I believe the tsunami and nuclear problems in Japan have been a wake-up call to the rest of the world, particularly concerning energy sources. I really can't understand why everyone is turning a blind eye to what has been building into a serious issue for years. Whether we're burning a hole in the ozone layer or not, clean energy resources need to be implemented internationally for a safer, healthier world. Attempting to stop the progress of nuclear power plants that are already built may not be the most viable argument, but it's simply unreasonable to decide to build more of them. According to the article, Russia is planning to build six more power plants, including one in Belarus. And in Britain,"officials have laid out plans for a new generation of 10 nuclear power plants". Countries, including the United States, are choosing not to stop the installation of more power plants that will only continue to cause pollution and danger. We need to be less wasteful. We need to take precautionary steps for everyone's sake. Because the tsunamis of life will sneak up on us when we least expect them.
ReplyDeleteI believe that we may begin to see countries reducing the amount of nuclear power used in the aftermath of the crisis in Japan. Nuclear energy has risks but in comparison to other forms of energy its by far the best. Solar energy is effective but the sun doesn’t shine every day. Wind power isn't very impressive because the wind is not a very dependable natural resource. Coal and natural gas release many greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere which has its whole own set of issues. Hydropower ruins habitats along rivers for miles. The incidents in Japan have shown some of the negative outcomes of nuclear power. It shows the potential dangers nuclear power possesses, but at the same time citizens complain about not having enough green energy. Nuclear power will supply any country with tons of green energy, given that adequate attention is provided to powerplant design, contingency planning and disposal of nuclear waste materials. Nuclear power is extremely effective and is still a very safe form of energy when coupled with modern designs and understanding. People hear the word nuclear and immediately think its going to be dangerous. They don’t even take the time to understand or think--it becomes an emotional reaction. I think people need to be more open minded and accept nuclear power as a very clean and effective source of energy, provided adequate safeguards are engineered into its application.
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