March 11th marked the third anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in 2011, killing nearly 19,000 people. The disaster severely damaged three of the six nuclear reactors at Fukushima and caused meltdowns that released large amounts of radioactivity into the atmosphere and ocean. Three years later almost 270,000 Japanese people remain displaced from their homes, and many may never be able to return because of long-lived radioactivity in the Fukushima area.
Naoto Kan, the Japanese prime minister at the time of the meltdown, recently said that the disaster was worse than the radioactive release in 1986 from a reactor at Chernobyl in the Ukraine.
If Kan is correct, it would make Fukushima the worst reactor disaster in history. Kan also said that if it had been worse, it could have led to the evacuation of 50 million people in Japan, including those in the Tokyo region. For these reasons, Kan opposes nuclear energy. However, present prime minister of Japan Shinzo Abe is still in favor of nuclear energy.
There are two problems with nuclear energy in addition to the possibility of a catastrophic accident. First, nuclear reactors are toxic to surrounding areas. A recent study found that communities near California’s Diablo Canyon reactor suffered declines in health after the plant was built. Infant mortality and cancer rose dramatically. Second, we have still not solved the problem of long-term storage of radioactive waste.
In my opinion, the advantages of nuclear energy do not outweigh the dangers, and I think all countries should eliminate nuclear reactors in favor of solar and wind energy, and practice serious conservation.
Sources
“Ex-Japanese PM on How Fukushima Meltdown was Worse Than Chernobyl & Why He Now Opposes Nuclear Power” (Democracy Now)
“Japan marks 3rd anniversary of tsunami disasters; thousands are still displaced” (Herald Times)
“The Academy’s Nuclear Power Health Impact Study” (World Business Academy)
