Evacuation of Japanese Communities Continues

As radiation levels rise in areas outside the Evacuation Zone,

“I told you so,”

is not the answer.

As the meltdown started I wrote about the inevitability of another nuclear disaster, this time on Honshu. The international media refused to accept facts.

“At least one reactor was melting down?”

But, no one was reporting the facts/

Was the media’s reaction just another case of “don’t mess with our agenda” management? Or, were they too afraid of the long term consequences, of which I also warned.

“A Japan crippled by long term radiation poisoning will drag the rest of the world down with it.”

This should not be about “being right or wrong,” the coverage should be about the future.

What’s Next for Nuclear?

The political spectrum cannot decide on a clear position on nuclear power. Which seems a bit odd considering most other issues are clear cut. Each segment follows the traditional patterns of support or resistance- not so with nuclear. The right side, which includes much of the mainstream “tea party” believes nuclear holds great promise. My concern for their position, as with many of the public statements, falls along the lines of “monkey see monkey do.”

The average person in the world probably never pauses to wonder what the world would/will be like if a nuclear winter arrives. Why should we, the media, in lock step with- federal governments, big corporations tell us over and over, nuclear is safe. Like potty trained puppies, we do as we’re told, and the spent fuel rods keep piling up.

Yucca Mountain Wake Up Call

As a resident in Las Vegas, Nevada, Yucca Mountain became an issue for me. During the GW era, the government and even the press wanted us to ship nuclear waste to the Nevada desert.

“Why not, Nevada still has low level radiation from bomb tests long ago, and no one’s died?”

At least that is the story told by the media. Occasionally, someone will raise an issue of Fall Out and testing in the desert, but it goes away as fast as it hits the headlines.

“Why has no one stepped up regarding the “real” dangers of nuclear?”

Here’s the score card:

In favor-

Big business

Energy companies

Global Warming advocates

Media

Against-

Far left environmentalist

Far right environmentalist

Being and environmentalist almost guarantees one will be ignored. And, why should anyone pay attention to environmentalists? They hug trees, smoke dope and believe in the Earth Goddess, right? Well, not exactly the correct description of everyone who believes we are off course environmentally. In my opinion, most people are environmentally friendly on some level. As humans, we have evolved past the, “throwing trash out the window” phase. And, most of us use more caution in our environment today, than 20 years ago.

Pro Nuclear – Anti Management

Most right wing talkers and political gurus are “pro nuclear.” Ask yourself, “why?” What does being careless have to do with being conservative? My guess, the right hates the left so much, “pro nuclear” is a knee jerk reaction. Or, they do not have enough focus to think through the future of “spent fuel rods and their great grand children.” Even if we do not have a nuclear meltdown of Russian or Japanese proportions in the next 20 years, the spent fuel will become a problem.

And, while we are on the topic of Russian and Japanese meltdowns, let’s clear the air. Chernobyl was dismissed as being a byproduct of Russian mismanagement. When one looks across the nuclear energy spectrum, Japan would be a country considered top level in nuclear management. When the Fukushima plant meltdown became national news, bad management was the culprit, not nuclear. It’s never nuclear’s fault.

Nuclear’s Not at Fault

News reports say now, radiation levels in areas outside the evacuation zone have passed those of Chernobyl. With those higher levels people must be moved. They are not being evacuated, they are being relocated. Mammals do not survive long term radiation exposure. Cockroaches apparently handle radiation well, but who wants their great, great, grandchildren to morph into cockroaches?

The media reports are correct, it’s never nuclear’s fault. The fault lies in the concept that radiation can be controlled. We can put it under water, in concrete bunkers or recycle part of nuclear waste, but eventually the system will break down and the planet will be infected. In my opinion, there is no easy fix for nuclear winter.

We as humans are to blame for believing the future will always be brighter and more advanced than today. The concept of going back to the stone ages never dawns on anyone- Well, almost no one. The “peak oil” crowd are predicting an age of shanty towns and pre-industrial living. If you have not spent time on the blogs, I suggest you give them a few days perusal. Looking at alternatives seems to me to be wise. Doesn’t mean I have to buy into the complete breakdown because of oil shortages, but, it kick starts the “what if” part of my brain.

Nuclear and Humans Have No Future

Think of it as a death match- nuclear or humans, there can be no other outcome. Generations from now, someone will pay the price for our insanity. Nuclear energy falls into the category of smoking, there’s no long term good to be had. Maybe today we can heat, cool and power our gadgets with nuclear rather than digging up and burning coal. The air quality may be a bit cleaner, short term.

Long term if the advanced civilization model plays out, we’ll have billions more people to heat, cool, feed and power. Which means more demand for energy. The “more people more demand model” is another of those issues which gets left out of the school of future think tankers.

The media loves a good crisis, until it means they have to re-think their positions. Government loves a good crisis, it means they can grab a bit more power. Humans love a good crisis, for a few minutes they can bond and forget their own problems. No large segment of the human race seems to care about the suffering and future of those living on an island with an expanding nuclear crisis.

“Why is that?”