On The Fukushima Nuclear Situation
A reader suggests that we should have a post about the current Fukushima nuclear power plant situation, calling for me to bring this whole thing into perspective.
I reply…
Thanks so much for the note. I deeply appreciate the trust and respect you have placed in me. But the truth is that I don’t have any greater insight into the extent and ramifications of this disaster than anyone else, and thus I feel that I have no value to add here.
Of course, I could point out that the millions of people (of whom I’m only one) who have been warning the world about the dangers of nuclear power were right — as if that makes anyone feel better. It goes without saying that I’m not into that. In the last few days, I’ve had people from all over the world emailing me about this, a few of them obviously in tears as they wrote. The world is in a state of shock and mourning, as well it should be.
I’m reminded of the BP oil spill, where some of my friends simply couldn’t understand why I wasn’t “capitalizing” on it. In truth, there’s nothing to capitalize on. It’s a disaster, period, and I think that more or less everyone understands this.
Like Chernobyl, the radius of the circle we draw around Fukushima will be hotly debated. And like the BP oil spill, industry spokespeople will attempt to minimize their culpability and the damage to the credibility of the nuclear program as a whole.
But, to the point: Does the disaster bring us all closer to an understanding of the imperative to migrate to clean energy? I hope so. Can I explicate it any further or better than what you’re seeing and reading? No, sorry.
In the last year, we’ve had the BP situation, the $8.6 billion judgement against Chevron in Ecuador, the bloodshed in Northern Africa in reaction to the exploitation that was enabled by oil money, and now, the nuclear catastrophe in Japan. If this succession of events fails to make the case for renewable energy, I hate to imagine what will.
Again, I appreciate your trust and friendship. But, outside of offering my most sincere sympathies, I’m out of words. I’m afraid the facts speak for themselves.