Japan.. And Nuclear Power

Here we go trying to reconstruct a blog post that got messed up way at the beginning…




When thinking about rain yesterday, I was trying to get to the point that a radiation alert had been issued to parts of the world because of the nuclear power plant leaks in Fukushima, Japan. And so, rain, which was always considered to be a symbol of freshness and new beginnings and blah blah blah, became radiation prone. People were asked to stay indoors during a rain to avoid possible radiation threats.



The earthquake that measured 8.89 on the Richter scale devastated Japan, but reports say that more than the actual earthquake, it was the aftershock, the tsunami that caused the most damage.



After the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Kobe, Japan, in early 1995, Kobe was rebuilt to be one of the most earthquake safe cities in the world. The entire island of Japan, is, you could say, used to earthquakes(just not of the 8.9 variety, I wouldn't wish it on anyone to be "used to" that) and so, the people are aware of what to do and what not to do during an earthquake. Students in schools are given practical disaster management classes, I remember seeing a picture of a cute little Japanese girl ducking under a table as part of a drill, somewhere not that long ago. In a country like Japan, where life went on as usual during a 5.9 magnitude earthquake(incase anyone wants to know how strong that was, I'd like to remind everyone that it was a 6.2 earthquake in Bhuj in 2000) not 100km from the eastern coast of the country less than a week before the actual horror, the 8.89 magnitude earthquake and the tsunami would have been so much easier to deal with if it weren't for just one factor. The 'nuclear complex' in Fukushima.



I think it is high time that people realized that nuclear reactors cannot be the future of mankind. They could cause the destruction of the Earth(as in an Issac Asimov book where they are searching for the Gaia or the Mother Planet), but no, they do not provide a safe future for the world. No I am not a tree hugger, but I do believe that viable green fuel(which is currently non-existent is the only possible future for the world.



One thing I've realized from the MUN conferences I've attended, is that there always is a line drawn between nuclear weapons/nuclear power and biological weapons/biological research. In the latter case, it is essential as even the research for the cause/cure of cancer can be termed as biological research. But in the former case, I don't believe that such a discrimination is necessary. Nuclear weapons and nuclear energy are equally harmful to the world.



Oh, random fact. There are places in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where if you pick up the sand, or rubble or whatever from the ground without wearing protective equipment, your skin burns.



Nobody needs to be reminded of the Chernobyl disaster in Russia on April 26, 1986. 31 people died as a result of acute radiation poisoning.

"Effects on public health have been more difficult to determine and are subject to considerable controversy. It is not always clear which health problems are caused directly by radiation and which are caused by poor nutrition, the general low level of health, and the anxiety and stress produced by fear of radiation exposure. These issues surround the debate over the causes of higher death rates among the more than half a million workers who participated in the Chernobyl’ cleanup."

-Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved

Also mentionable is the rapid rise in thyroid cancer, which by the way, is the one cancer that can be definitely associated with Nuclear fallout. An example would be the rise in thyroid cancer rates 22 times in Homeyl' Oblast from 1986 to 1990 as compared to the period from 1981 to 1985.



After all of this, it is bl**dy well about time that people realize that nuclear power is not safe. And I think the previous statement is the understatement of the millennium.



In a country like (guess which one!) where half the money for a proposed nuclear plant will turn into someone's black money, nuclear plants will not be anything but a death sentence. And then considering the population density, will it really be possible to evacuate people in a 20 mile radius right after an earthquake and a tsunami?



Okay, maybe that is the worst case scenario, but in a country where the construction of the plant will occur in right about half the money allotted to it, I highly doubt an earthquake and tsunami is necessary to cause a nuclear disaster.



Food for thought…



On a more emotional note, heartfelt condolences to everyone who's lost anyone in the recent disaster. Prayers for the strength to cope with the immeasurable losses.



♥♥♥