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Whilst the catastrophe in Japan will continue to be felt around the world for some time, questions of what can be learned from this calamity are being deeply pondered by every government in the West. Just as the shifts in power in the Arab world recently have left nations wondering about life after oil, now the same leaders are wondering about the plausibility and safety of nuclear power after the tsunami. The reality is, there isn’t really a choice but to forge ahead and attempt greater precautions.
The likelihood of a massive earthquake in the British Isles isn’t at all likely, but what else can we glean from Japan? The BBC reports that both China and Germany have been spooked enough by the recent events to either stall work on new power plants or beat a retreat altogether, and Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced a “measured exit” from nuclear power and has proceeded to close down seven aging plants. Meanwhile, the head of French nuclear company EDF, Vincent de Rivaz, whose company plans to charge ahead in the UK with new reactor builds, said these prescient words to the BBC, “”Nuclear is not a single solution [/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][to the UK’s energy needs], but there is no solution without nuclear.” Many experts believe this to be the case. In fact, the International Energy Agency has been quoted as predicting a staggering 49% increase in global energy consumption by the year 2035. So, what do we do?
The good news is that reactors and nuclear plants aren’t in the same league as they were in the 1980’s, and their design will continue to evolve and get safer, but the United States and Europe may, for the time being, be able to shift the emphasis to other sources, but emerging powers like India and China have to fall in line with nuclear programs to meet the colossal needs of their populations. Nonetheless, those in the industry (and politicians) attempting to reassure us that modern nuclear power is safe, will have a hard time competing with images of men in radiation suits testing babies with Geiger counters, like the images we’ve seen lately from Japan telling us otherwise.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
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