Nuclear Aftershocks
by evanduggan on January 18, 2012
One of my favourite shows on television is PBS’s Frontline.
It premiered a great doc last night on Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster last March.
Nuclear Aftershocks raises several important questions about what happened in Japan, and whether the disaster should have been anticipated and prevented. It also shows how many countries, including the United States, have to decide what to do next with nuclear-generated power in light of Japan’s nuclear meltdown.
Japan appears to have taken several large steps away from nuclear power as a direct consequence of what happened, and could phase out nuclear reactors entirely. Law makers in Germany have shifted away from nuclear too, buttressed by powerful public opinion and fear.
The doc shows that–at this point–there is no environmentally sustainable alternative to nuclear energy, which can generate enough clean power to bridge the gap between sources such as wind and solar, and what is required for base energy requirements.
Germany for one is looking at using coal to bridge that gap.
The questions: are we willing to risk the consequences of future nuclear disasters? Can we afford not to?
Garibaldi Lake
Heading back from the fields near Bhilwara, Rajasthan
Organized cricket. Trivandrum, Kerala
A drink during recess. Outside of Calcutta, West Bengal
Nuclear Aftershocks
by evanduggan on January 18, 2012
One of my favourite shows on television is PBS’s Frontline.
It premiered a great doc last night on Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster last March.
Nuclear Aftershocks raises several important questions about what happened in Japan, and whether the disaster should have been anticipated and prevented. It also shows how many countries, including the United States, have to decide what to do next with nuclear-generated power in light of Japan’s nuclear meltdown.
Japan appears to have taken several large steps away from nuclear power as a direct consequence of what happened, and could phase out nuclear reactors entirely. Law makers in Germany have shifted away from nuclear too, buttressed by powerful public opinion and fear.
The doc shows that–at this point–there is no environmentally sustainable alternative to nuclear energy, which can generate enough clean power to bridge the gap between sources such as wind and solar, and what is required for base energy requirements.
Germany for one is looking at using coal to bridge that gap.
The questions: are we willing to risk the consequences of future nuclear disasters? Can we afford not to?