Fukushima Nuclear Accident and the Future of Nuclear Energy

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Posted on 4/14/11 by Mandy Chatsworth · Comments

What the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Means for the Future of Nuclear Energy

Preface:

We have a couple members on staff at FFR that are native Japanese from northern Japan. The last couple months have been really hard for them being away from their families in the wake of the disaster. For that reason I've been almost hyper focused on any news I read or hear about the current situation in Japan. I was recently corresponding via email with Mandy Chatsworth, a contributor from our sister blog Finally Fast Blog, about the situation over there and the ramifications it might have on the future of nuclear energy. Oddly enough these are the kind of emails that we exchange..we’re an intellectual bunch!

My take was somewhat pessimistic. Personally I am a huge proponent of research into nuclear energy and in my eyes Fukushima’s effect on nuclear research seems all but lethal to that realm of nuclear research for the foreseeable future. To my surprise Mandy’s reply was refreshingly optimistic and even convinced me that the Fukushima event, while bad for nuclear energy specifically, may be good for research into and proliferation of forms of renewable energy, like wind power.

I was so blown away by her response that asked if she wouldn’t mind writing a guest post for FFR based on her reply to my email. If you are at all interested in renewable energy I think you’ll interested to read read what effect Fukushima looks to be having on investments in renewable energy.

-Bryan

Here's Mandy:

The recent tsunami disaster in Japan has had many consequences, but beyond the immediate and crucial disaster relief efforts, a longer-term consequence might just involve altering the course of nuclear energy proliferation around the world.

As we have all heard on the news, the nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were damaged by the March 11 earthquake that rocked northern Japan. Officials have just increased the alert level from 5 to 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale, bringing the disaster to the same threat level as the 1986 Chernobyl explosion.

The dangerous fallout from radiation in the area—prompting massive evacuations—will be paired with a different kind of fallout: public perception about the relative safety of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy has always had uneasy associations in the public imagination, and particularly in the United States. In the popular mind, nuclear power seems to involve a bomb ready to go off (the nuclear reactor) and an all-too-dangerous, never-disposed -of byproduct (toxic waste). Strange creatures or superheroes of fiction often have origin stories involving exposure to radiation or toxic sludge. Of course, nuclear energy technology—at least energy involving uranium as opposed to “safer” designs using thorium—also has the “dark side” of being potentially used for nuclear weapons.

While American president Barack Obama swiftly defended the use of nuclear energy shortly after the disaster—his own energy platform features increased nuclear energy as one component—the breathless media coverage surrounding the damaged reactors and leaked radiation has already had significant political ramifications. Switzerland has suspended plans to build additional nuclear plants, while Germany has imposed a three-month moratorium on funding or construction of new nuclear facilities.

Regardless of whether or not the knee-jerk reaction against nuclear power is justified, the ultimate winner may be renewable energy. In Germany's case, two ministers (Environment and Economy) have introduced a “six point plan” for a change in focus away from nuclear and toward renewable sources, including a 5 billion euro plan for wind power, the funding of a clean climate/clean air initiative at 1 billion euro, and a further 2 billion euro dedicated to energy efficiency in new and existing buildings.

Japan's disaster presents a crossroads, a challenge to the international community in regards to energy. If atomic power, based upon public backlash, is diminished, leaders are confronted with a choice between more reliance on traditional fossil fuels, or progress toward green, renewable energy. The pressure to weigh cost versus cleanliness is not insignificant—in one sign of the times, Europe's carbon-dioxide allowances have risen 18 percent in 2011 alone. But let's hope long-term wisdom trumps short-term triage, and that renewable energy technology is vigorously pursued in the post-tsunami energy environment.

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