Fukushima fallout

Are politicians willing to discuss the scientific merits or otherwise of nuclear power more openly, and help develop a balanced approach to political decision-making about energy?

This year’s earthquake off the northeastern coast of Japan, and the subsequent tsunami, had a devastating effect on that country, including the highly-publicised damage to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In the days and weeks following the earthquake, press coverage of the plant was intense, with many predicting a catastrophe - especially as some parts of the plant dated back to 1967. Fears of a ‘new Chernobyl’ spread across the globe. The fallout from the disaster has included Germany shutting down some of its plants and declaring all will be shut down by 2022. Meanwhile, some environmentalists who had recently begun to support nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels are having doubts, or simply reverting to the anti-nuclear position.

With the prospect of oil and gas production declining, with coal widely seen as unacceptable, and alternative forms of ‘green’ energy production seemingly unable to satisfy increasing demands, the nuclear option had looked set for a renaissance. Will the new political climate allow the expansion of nuclear power that would be required to meet demand? What if any are the barriers to long-term safety? Will scientists be able to convince a sceptical public of the merits of nuclear power over traditional or other ‘green’ technologies still in their infancy? Are politicians willing to discuss the scientific merits or otherwise of nuclear power more openly, and help develop a balanced approach to political decision-making about energy?

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