Why Fukushima made me stop worrying and love nuclear power

The Guardian ^ | 03/23/2011 | George Monbiot

[SeekAndFind]

You will not be surprised to hear that the events in Japan have changed my view of nuclear power. You will be surprised to hear how they have changed it. As a result of the disaster at Fukushima, I am no longer nuclear-neutral. I now support the technology.

A crappy old plant with inadequate safety features was hit by a monster earthquake and a vast tsunami. The electricity supply failed, knocking out the cooling system. The reactors began to explode and melt down. The disaster exposed a familiar legacy of poor design and corner-cutting. Yet, as far as we know, no one has yet received a lethal dose of radiation.

Some greens have wildly exaggerated the dangers of radioactive pollution. For clearer view, look at the graphic published by xkcd.com. It shows that the average total dose from the Three Mile Island disaster for someone living within 10 miles of the plant was one 625th of the maximum yearly amount permitted for US radiation workers. This, in turn, is half of the lowest one-year dose clearly linked to an increased cancer risk, which, in its turn, is one 80th of an invariably fatal exposure. I'm not proposing complacency here. I am proposing perspective.

If other forms of energy production caused no damage, these impacts would weigh more heavily. But energy is like medicine: if there are no side-effects, the chances are that it doesn't work.

Like most greens, I favour a major expansion of renewables. I can also sympathise with the complaints of their opponents. It's not just the onshore windfarms that bother people, but also the new grid connections (pylons and power lines). As the proportion of renewable electricity on the grid rises, more pumped storage will be needed to keep the lights on. That means reservoirs on mountains:

[yldstrk]

Build more nuclear plants

[Balding_Eagle]

There are a lot of Freepers who should be forced to read this article.

[Hegewisch Dupa]

Holy hell, what a great article - thanks for posting!!!

[agere_contra]

Monbiot wrote this?

Monbiot? Wrote? This?

And he references XKCD?

And he writes it in the Guardian?

Well, good for him.

[The_Reader_David]

Monbiot may be a lefty and a "green" (the former is almost proven by his writing for The Guardian, the latter he declares himself), but he's capable of rational risk assessment. That, these days, is a rare ability among those in media and government (outside the military), and much to be praised. We need a dose of it this side of the pond vis-a-vis both nuclear energy and fossil fuel exploration/exploitation (in the latter case esp. in the Gulf of Mexico, where the BP "disaster" proved that the ecosystem is capable of dealing with a heck of a lot of loose crude oil).

[GeronL]

Yet, as far as we know, no one has yet received a lethal dose of radiation.

Just don't drink the water in Tokyo, 150 miles away and one of the largest megalopolis's on Earth.

[Jack Hydrazine]

[SeekAndFind]

RE: Monbiot? Wrote? This?

I don’t really know Monbiot, I just happened to chance on this article and decided to share it with everyone.

Why the big surprise? Who is he?

[OrioleFan]

"The reactors began to explode and melt down."

Nice article but the reactors didn't explode. The damage to the facility buildings is mainly the top floor which housed the ceiling crane used to install new fuel rods and move spent rods to the water pool. This was probably due to the release of hydrogen gas exploding (outside the reactor containment vessel).

Here's a good article on the subject: Fukushima simple explanation

[Vigilanteman]

As much as I detest Moonbat’s smarmy lefty opinions, I must admit that he has a good grasp of economics and has hit a homerun here.

[OrioleFan]

I’ll have a banana if I want to get a higher does of radiation than TMI generated.

[OrioleFan]

I’ll have a banana if I want to get a higher does dose of radiation than TMI generated.

[primatreat]

My wife's Brother in law has a upper level “safety “ position at the (blank) Nuke plant on the East Coast.

The nuke plants in his jurisdiction are 10 times better built than the ones in Japan.

I agree with you. Go nuke and Let the “camel breeders” crawl back into the past.

[taxcontrol]

I’m all for it as long as we use the more advanced and modern designs that fail safe.

[LonePalm]

He is the person for whom the term 'moonbat' was coined as a play on his name.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

I don’t really know Monbiot, I just happened to chance on this article and decided to share it with everyone.

Why the big surprise? Who is he?

Monbiot is an uber-left greenie who dabbles in other areas as well. Urban legend says his name is the source of the term "moonbat."

Nevertheless, good article and he's right - we do need more nuclear power.

[BlazingArizona]

Get out your umbrellas NOW! Suddenly, the sky is filled with pigs.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

I’m all for it as long as we use the more advanced and modern designs that fail safe.

One very good advance in nuke power are pebble bed reactors. They're design incorporates a passive safety mechanism that greatly reduces the need for redundant active controls. From what I've heard, they would be practically impossible to meltdown, even if you were trying to do so.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

” By blocking the rivers and silting up the spawning beds, they helped bring to an end the gigantic runs of migratory fish that were once among our great natural spectacles and which fed much of Britain – wiping out sturgeon, lampreys and shad, as well as most sea trout and salmon.”

Okay,,, if the Brits were eatin’ Lampreys, they’re officially nutz! Ever seen a Lamprey? Yuck! And I like tripe, and chicken feet, and odd stuff,,, but Lampreys? No way!