After the terrible destruction of Japan’s tsunami, the overheating nuclear reactors damaged in the disaster are in the midst of creating yet another tragedy for the people of Japan. Those working courageously around the clock in incredibly dangerous conditions may avert further disaster but let’s look at the situation as it currently stands. While reading about these developments I thought back to the recent events of the BP Gulf Coast oil spill last summer that saturated the Gulf of Mexico with poison and showed Americans yet again how disaster seems to constantly remind us of the folly of our society’s energy policies. Just as an energy plan focused around burning fossil fuels leads to disaster, so too will an energy policy focused on using radioactive materials and later burying those materials in the earth.
As the memories of the BP oil spill slowly recede from our everyday thoughts, the gears of capital have chugged into motion again and seen to the reinstatement of our off-shore drilling policies. I fear that this nuclear wake-up call will have even less permanent of an effect on our country’s nuclear power policy, what with our unique virtual inability to care for anything happening outside our borders. Couple this cultural trait with our president’s inalienable love affair with the nuclear lobby, acquired early in his public career, and we can be sure that any theatrical regulations or inquiries will only last as long as the media’s attention span – which can be derailed by something as simple as Charlie Sheen screaming “WINNING!” at a camera.
Will Japan turn to an environmentally friendly energy policy as a result of this? I am not familiar enough with the culture or politics involved but the pessimist in me can be seen shaking its head with a sigh.
Natural disasters will never stop, the devastation they incur will always be tragic, and failures like those that led to the oil spill are likely to always be a factor but what we can overcome is the subsidiary disasters that result from this. A tsunami doesn’t require a nuclear devastation, nor do equipment failures necessitate a devastating oil spill, but when our energy policies consist of these avenues the disasters listed can and will be the results.
While the human costs will always be a risk and the deaths are terrible; had the tsunami damaged a giant wind-farm, solar array, or geothermal/hydro-electric plant, the country would not now find itself thrown into the subsequent nightmare it has been made to face. The efforts going to save the nuclear reactors and stop the meltdown could instead be added to the efforts currently underway to rescue and help those who have survived the tsunami.
The lesson we need to take from this is one we needed to learn from BP, that our energy policies will only compound the tragedies they are involved in. I hope those of you who have friends or loved ones in Japan have been able to confirm their safety, and if you have lost someone in this tragedy I offer my condolences. If you are able, please donate to a reputable charity effort to help those affected.