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| September 2011 |
| Billie Silvey |
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| The Peaceful Use of Nuclear Power |
| Speaking at the 66th anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki last month, Naoto Kan, who was prime minister at the time, promised that Japan would work to become "a society free of dependence on nuclear power." The occasion was marked by a moment of silence and the release of doves before the Statue of Peace at Nagasaki Peace Park (above). The ceremony was the first time the United States had sent a representative to the memorial service. Charge d'Affaires James P. Zumwalt said that President Obama hoped to work with Japan toward his goal "of realizing a world without nuclear weapons," and Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue called on Japan to shift from nuclear power to renewable energy. With 54 nuclear reactors along its coast, Japan is the most nuclear reliant nation in the world. The event was a solemn reminder, not just of the danger of nuclear weapons, but of the risk posed by the so-called peaceful use of nuclear energy. It was the first such ceremony since the earthquake and tsunami in March triggered the meltdown at the Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant and showed how vulnerable they made Japan. It was only the most recent in a series of such accidents: |
| On March 28, 1979, the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Middletown, PA, suffered the most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history. It didn't cause any deaths or injuries, but it did serve as a wake-up call that nuclear energy is a powerful and untameable force--a risk to workers at the plants and to people who live in the areas surrounding them. It raised the question of whether even the strictest regulations and oversight can prevent disasters caused by human error and mechanical failure. |
| This year is the 25th anniversary of the accident at Chernobyl in Ukraine. On April 26, 1986, a sudden surge of power destroyed the reactor and released massive radioactive material into the atmosphere. Two died within hours, 28 in four months, and 134 suffered from radiation sickness. The risk at Chernobyl was exacerbated by the secrecy surrounding the Russian government at the time. An 18-mile radius around the plant, including Pripyat, the town where most of the workers lived, was evacuated. People have only recently been able to visit the area around Chernobyl and then only briefly and carrying personal geiger counters. |
| Finally, on March 11, 2011, a series of equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns and releases of radioactive materials at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant following a 9.0 earthquake and tsunami created the world's worst nuclear disaster. These accidents point to the risks of nuclear power in any form and our need to develop safe, sustainable sources of power. As citizens and consumers, we need to be able to be confident that governments and business leaders will be honest about the risks created by their projects and products. They should do everything possible to protect people and their environment. Profits should never be more important than safety. |