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T h is s o b e rin g re alit y h as l e d s o m e p r o m in e n t o b s e r v e rs t o re - e m b rac e n u c le ar e n e rg y . A d v o c at e s d e c lare it c le an , e ffic i e n t , e c o n o m ic al , an d s afe . I n a c t u a l i ty i t i s n o n e o f th es e. I t i s exp en s i v e a n d p o s es g rav e d an g e rs t o o u r p h y s i c al an d p s y c h o lo g ic al w e ll - b e i n g. A c c o r d i n g t o t h e U S E n e r gy I n f o r m a t i o n A g en c y , th e a v er a g e n u c l ea r p o w er g en er a ti n g c o s t i s a b o u t $ 1 0 0 p er m eg a w a tt - h o u r. C o m p are t h is wi th $ 5 0 p er m eg a wa tt - h o u r fo r s o lar an d $ 3 0 t o $ 4 0 p e r m e g aw at t - h o u r f o r o n s h o r e w i n d . T h e fin an c ial g ro u p L az ard r e c e n t ly s aid t h a t re n e w ab le e n e rg y c o s t s are n o w “ at o r b e lo w t h e m arg in al c o s t

o f c o n v e n t i o n a l ge n e r a t i o n ” — t h a t is , fo s s il fu e ls — a n d m u c h l o w e r t h a n n u c l e a r .

I n t h e o r y t h e s e h i gh c o s t s a n d l o n g c o n s t r u c t i o n t i m e s c o u l d b e b r o u gh t d o w n . B u t w e h a v e h a d m o r e t h a n a h a l f - c en tu r y t o t es t th a t th eo r y a n d i t a p p ea r s h a v e b e en s o l i d l y r ef u ted .

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Un lik e n e arl y all o t h e r t e c h n o lo g ie s , t h e c o s t o f n u c le a r p o w e r h as ris e n o v e r t i m e . E v e n it s s u p p o rt e rs r e c o gn i ze t h a t i t h a s n e v e r b e e n c o s t - c o m p e t it i v e in a fre e - m ark e t e n v iro n m e n t , an d it s c rit ic s p o in t o u t t h at t h e n u c le ar in d u s t r y h as fo ll o w e d a “ n e g at i v e l e a rn in g c u r v e . ” B o t h t h e N u c l e a r E n e r g y A ge n c y a n d I n t e r n a t i o n a l E n e r gy A ge n c y h a v e c o n c l u d e d t h a t a l t h o u gh n u c l e a r p o w e r i s a “ p r o v e n l o w - c arb o n s o u r c e o f b a s e - l o ad e le c t ri c it y , ” t h e in d u s t ry w ill h a v e t o ad d re s s s e rio u s c o n c e rn s ab o u t c o s t , s af e t y , a n d w a s t e d is p o s al if it is t o p lay a s ig n ific an t r o le in a d d re s s in g t h e c li m at e - en er g y n exu s .

B u t t h e r e a r e d e e p e r p r o b l e m s t h a t s h o u l d n o t b e b r u s h e d a s i d e . T h e y h a v e t o d o w i t h t h e f e a r a n d t h e re alit y o f rad iat io n e ffe c t s . A t is s u e is w h at c an b e c all e d “ in v is ib l e c o n ta m i n a ti o n , ” th e s en s e th a t s o m e k i n d o f p o i s o n h a s l o d ge d i n o n e ’ s b o d y t h a t m a y s t r i k e o n e d o w n a t a n y t i m e — e v e n i n t h o s e w h o h a d s e e m e d u n affe c t e d b y a n u c le ar d is as t e r. N o r is t h is fe ar irrat io n al, s in c e d e lay e d rad iat io n e ff e c t s c an d o j u s t t h a t . M o r e o v e r , c a t a s t r o p h i c n u c l e a r a c c i d e n t s , h o w e v e r i n f r e q u e n t , c a n b r i n g a b o u t t h e s e p h y s ic al an d p s y c h o l o g ic al c o n s e q u e n c e s o n a v as t s c a le . N o t e c h n o l o g ic al s y s t e m is e v e r p e rfe c t , b u t t h e v u ln e r ab ilit y o f n u c l e ar p o w e r is p ar t ic u larly g r e at . I m p ro v e m e n t s i n d e s i gn c a n n o t e l i m i n a t e t h e p o s s i b i l i ty o f l eth a l m el td o wn s . Th es e m a y r es u l t f r o m e xtr e m e w ea th er ; f r o m g eo p h y s i c a l e v en ts s u c h a s e a r t h q u a k e s , v o l c a n o e s , a n d t s u n a m i s ( s u c h a s t h e o n e t h a t c a u s e d t h e F u k u s h i m a e v e n t ) ; f r o m t e c h n ic al failu re ; an d fr o m u n av o id ab le h u m an e rr o r. C lim at e c h an g e i t s e lf w o rk s ag ain s t n u c le ar p o w e r; s e v e r e d r o u gh t s h a v e l e d t o t h e s h u t t i n g d o w n o f r e a c t o r s a s t h e s u r r o u n d i n g w a t e r s b e c o m e t o o w a r m t o p r o v id e t h e v it al c o o lin g fu n c t io n .

A d v o c a t e s o f n u c l e ar e n e rg y in v ariab l y d o w n p l a y t h e c a t a s t r o p h i c e v e n t s a t F u k u s h i m a a n d C h e r n o b y l . Th ey p o i n t o u t th a t r el a ti v e l y f e w i m m ed i a te d ea th s w er e r ec o r d ed i n th e s e t w o d i s a s ter s , wh i c h i s tr u e. Bu t t h e y fail t o t ak e ad e q u at e ac c o u n t o f m e d ic al p ro j e c t i o n s . T h e c h ao s o f b o t h d is as t e rs an d t h e ir e x t re m e m is h an d lin g b y au t h o rit ie s h av e le d t o g re at d is p arit y in e s t i m at e s . Bu t i n fo rm e d e v alu at i o n s in c o n n e c t i o n w i t h C h e r n o b y l p r o j e c t f u t u r e c a n c e r d e a t h s a t a n y w h e r e f r o m s e v e r a l t e n s o f t h o u s a n d s t o a h alf - m illio n .

S t u d i e s o f C h e r n o b y l an d F u k u s h im a als o r e v e al c rip p l in g p s y c h o l o g ic al f e ar o f in v is ib le c o n t a m in at i o n . T h is fe ar c o n s u m e d H ir o s h i m a an d N ag as a k i, an d p e o p le in F u k u s h im a p ain fu lly as s o c ia t e d t h e ir o w n exp er i en c es wi th th o s e o f p eo p l e i n th e a to m i c - b o m b ed c i ti es . Th e s i tu a ti o n in F u k u s h im a is s t ill far fro m p h y s ic all y o r p s y c h o l o g ic ally s t ab l e . T h is f e ar als o p lag u e s C h e rn o b y l, w h e re t h e re h a v e b e e n larg e fo rc e d m o v e m e n t s o f p o p u lat io n s , an d w h e re w h o le a re as p o i s o n e d b y rad iat i o n re m ain u n in h ab it ab le .

T h e c o m b i n a t i o n o f a c t u a l an d an t ic ip at e d rad iat i o n e ffe c t s — t h e f e ar o f in v is ib le c o n t a m in at io n — o c c u r s w h e r e v e r n u c l e a r t e c h n o l o g y h a s b e e n u s e d : n o t o n l y a t t h e s i t e s o f t h e a t o m i c b o m b i n gs a n d m aj o r ac c id e n t s , b u t als o a t H an fo rd , W as h . , in c o n n e c t io n w it h p lu t o n iu m w as t e fr o m t h e p r o d u c t i o n o f t h e N ag as ak i b o m b ; a t R o c k y F lat s , C o lo . , aft e r d e c ad e s o f n u c le ar t e s t in g ; an d a t t e s t s it e s in N e v ad a an d e ls e w h e re af t e r s o ld ie r s w e r e e x p o s e d t o rad iat i o n fo llo w in g at o m ic b o m b t e s t s .

N u c le ar re ac t o r s als o rais e t h e p ro b l e m o f n u c l e a r w a s t e , f o r w h i c h n o a d e q u a t e s o l u t i o n h a s b e e n f o u n d d e s p i t e a h a l f - c e n t u ry o f s c ie n t ific an d e n g in e e ri n g e ffo rt . E v e n w h e n a re ac t o r is c o n s id e re d u n re liab le an d is c l o s e d d o w n , as o c c u rr e d re c e n t ly w i t h t h e P ilg rim P o in t r e ac t o r in P ly m o u t h , o r c l o s e s fo r e c o n o m ic re as o n s , as a t V e rm o n t Y an k e e , t h e ac c u m u lat e d w as t e r e m ain s at t h e s it e , d an g e ro u s an d v irt u ally im m o rt al. Un d e r t h e 1 9 8 2 N u c le ar W as t e P o l ic y A c t , t h e Un it e d S t at e s w as re q u ire d t o d e v e lo p a p e rm an e n t r e p o s it o r y f o r n u c le ar w a s t e ; n e arl y 4 0 y e ars lat e r, w e s t ill lac k t h at re p o s it o r y .

F in ally t h e re is t h e g rav e s t o f d an g e rs : p lu t o n iu m an d e n ric h e d u ran iu m d e riv e d f ro m n u c le ar r e ac t o rs ’ c o n t r i b u t i n g t o t h e b u i l d i n g o f n u c l e a r w e a p o n s . S t e p s c a n b e t a k e n t o r e d u c e t h a t d a n ge r b y e lim in at in g p l u t o n i u m a s a f u el , b u t wh er e v er ext en s i v e n u c l ea r p o w er i s p u t i n to u s e th er e i s th e p o s s ib ilit y o f i t s b e c o m in g w e ap o n iz e d . O f c o u rs e , t h i s p o t e n t ial w e ap o n iz at i o n m ak e s n u c le ar re ac t o r s a tem p ti n g ta r g et f o r ter r o r i s ts .

Th er e a r e n o w m o r e th a n 4 5 0 n u c l ea r re ac t o rs t h r o u g h o u t t h e w o rld . I f n u c le ar p o w e r is e m b ra c e d as a r e s c u e t e c h n o l o g y , t h e r e w o u l d b e m a n y t i m e s t h a t n u m b e r , c r e a t i n g a w o r l d w i d e c h a i n o f n u c l e a r d a n ge r zo n e s — a p lan e t ar y s y s t e m o f p o t e n t ial s e lf - a n n ih ilat io n . T o b e f e arfu l o f s u c h a d e v el o p m en t i s rat io n al. W h a t is irra t io n al i s t o d is m is s t h is c o n c e rn , a n d t o in s is t , aft e r t h e e x p e r ie n c e o f m o re t h an a h alf - c e n t u ry , t h at a “ f o u rt h g e n e rat i o n ” o f n u c l e ar p o w e r w ill c h an g e e v e ry t h in g .

A d v o c a t e s o f n u c l e ar p o w e r fre q u e n t ly c o m p ar e it t o c a r b o n - lo ad e d c o al. Bu t c o al is n o t t h e is s u e ; it is alre ad y m ak in g i t s w ay o ff t h e w o rld s t ag e . T h e ap p ro p riat e c o m p aris o n is b e t w e e n n u c le ar an d r en ewa b l e en er g i es . R en e wa b l es a r e p a r t o f a n ec o n o m i c a n d en er g y r ev o l u ti o n : Th e y h a v e b e c o m e av ailab le far m o r e q u i c k l y , exten s i v el y , a n d c h ea p l y th a n m o s t exp er ts p r ed i c ted , a n d p u b l i c a c c ep ta n c e is h ig h . T o u s e re n e w ab le s o n t h e n e c e s s ary s c ale , w e w ill n e e d i m p r o v e m e n t s in e n e rg y s t o rag e , g rid in t e g rat io n , s m art ap p lian c e s , an d e l e c t ric v e h ic le c h a rg in g in fras t ru c t u re . W e s h o u ld h av e an all - o u t n at io n al e ff o rt — re m in is c e n t o f W o rld W a r I I o r, ir o n ic ally , t h e m ak in g o f t h e at o m i c b o m b — th a t in c lu d e s all o f t h e s e ar e as t o m ak e re n e w ab le e n e rg ie s in t e g ral t o t h e A m e ric an w ay o f lif e . Gas an d n u c le ar w ill p la y a t ran s it i o n al ro le , b u t it is n o t p rag m at ic t o b e t t h e p lan e t o n a t e c h n o l o g y t h a t h as c o n s i s t e n t l y u n d e r p e r f o r m e d a n d p o s e s p r o f o u n d t h r e a t s t o o u r b o d i e s a n d o u r m i n d s .

A b o v e a l l , we n e ed t o f r ee o u r s el v es o f th e “ n u c l ea r m y s ti q u e” : th e m ag ic au ra t h at rad iat i o n h as h ad s in c e t h e d ay s o f M ari e C u r ie . W e m u s t q u e s t i o n t h e m is le ad in g v is io n o f “ A t o m s fo r P e ac e , ” a v is i o n t h at h as al w ay s ac c o m p an ie d t h e n o r m aliz at io n o f n u c le ar w e ap o n s . W e m u s t fr e e o u rs e l v e s f ro m t h e fals e h o p e t h at a t e c h no l o g y d e s ig n e d f o r u lt i m at e d e s t ru c t io n c o u ld b e t ran s m o g rifie d in t o u lt im a t e

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