We cannot really control nuclear power – it is a devilish problem

Nuclear reactors are not evil: they produce the power that runs the modern world. They are present on every continent, often near urban and industrial megacomplexes. This is prima facie good……But nuclear reactors are the devil, because in our critically unstable world we cannot be sure of remaining in a position to control them.

Is it reasonable to stake our future on a devilishly uncontrollable, potentially lethal technology?

Pact With the Devil — Thoughts on Our Nuclear Future , HUFFINGTON POST, Ervin Laszlo, 25 March 11, Nuclear power is not evil; it’s the devil. Evil of our own making can be overcome. The devil cannot be overcome, not even if we ourselves conjure him into being. This is why staking our future on nuclear power is a pact with the devil.

Spokesmen for the nuclear lobby claim nuclear reactors are safe. By safe they mean we can master them under all circumstances. This would be essential, as a reactor requires constant control to remain operational. If an essential part of the control system breaks down, the reactor core heats up, and if the problem is not remedied in time, the core melts. The radioactive radiation released by a meltdown sooner or later proves lethal for people, the same as for all forms of life higher than insects and grass. Failing to control other technologies creates local problems — the breakdown of navigation systems, power-shortages, unsafe drinking water, poisonous air — and while these are bad enough, they do not kill hundreds of thousands of people. A major nuclear breakdown does.

The present near-meltdown of the super-technology installation in Japan has made it clear that perfect and reliable control is not possible. There are too many eventualities that cannot be foreseen. We live in a complex world where myriad processes unfold, and one way or another they all interact one with the other.

The disaster in Japan occurred because the combination of factors that triggered it was not foreseen: it was ipso facto implausible….

Nuclear breakdowns are not caused only by natural catastrophes, they can also be precipitated by terrorism, war, and violence by desperate masses. And despite international safeguards, unscrupulous leaders can still convert the reactors to the production of nuclear weapons.

Is it reasonable to stake our future on a devilishly uncontrollable, potentially lethal technology? If we did not have other options, perhaps it would be. But we do have other options — a vast range of alternative energy technologies is coming online, and they are just as clean but far less dangerous than the nuclear. Shouldn’t we see if we could make good use of them now, while we still have a chance? Or are we already irrevocably committed to a pact with the devil?…….

Could it be that “our nuclear future” is an oxymoron? If it is, we should see about changing course: decommissioning aging reactors, stopping the construction of new ones, and investing in safe alternative technologies. The time is late, but perhaps not too late. We had better wake up and start assessing our options.

Ervin Laszlo: Pact With the Devil — Thoughts on Our Nuclear Future

March 26, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general

2 Comments »

Actually it’s because the power plants in Japan were not properly maintained rather then the fault of the plant.

There were newer and better safety devices that were created before the earthquake that were suppose to be installed to prevent the problem it had but were never put in place.

Just like if you don’t maintain your car you will have trouble and can kill someone or yourself.

The moral lesson here is: Do not let maintance slide or there will be consequences.

Comment by Kyle | November 2, 2011 | Reply
- I’m amazed that Kyle thinks that it was OK to set up nuclear power plants in an island country vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis in the first place, however well maintained. And – if one looks at the crookedness involved in the whole Japanese “Nuclear Village” – it is pretty apparent that the industry there could never be trusted. A revolving door between government regulator jobs, and industry jobs,.
  The same revolving door exists in other countries.
  And we can look forward to even more dodgy safety factors in the “developing” countries, where expertise is limited, where, as in China, secrecy and corruption are rife. Ruthless USA , French, Russian, and Japanese companies are out to sell their dangerous nuclear products as fast as possible, before the complete collapse of the industry.
  
  Comment by Christina MacPherson | November 2, 2011 | Reply