|
Nuclear is hands down the cleanest and safest solution, when measured in potential impact on the environment per kWh produced.
The notion that no one died after Fukushima is misunderstanding the severely long-term effects of radiation poisoning. Increased risk of cancer is the most common result of low to moderate exposure. This is impossible to detect on an individual basis. It's usually found by looking at history and seeing that there were 100 cases of cancer when only 80 were expected. So we can surmise that 20 of the cancers were due to radiation exposure, but we're not sure which of the 100 were the 20.
It is true that the Chernobyl disaster released much more radiological material, and almost entirely into the atmosphere, which carried it across the landscape. The Fukushima disaster released 1/10 as much and mostly into the ground and sea. This isn't great, but much less dangerous than the air.
Even still, my opening statement holds. There are deaths and risks in all power production. The Exxon and BP oil spills have had a huge ecological impact that is hard to compare to radiation exposure. The amount of CO2 spewed into the air as a daily operating procedure by coal plants can't be ignored.
Nuclear is the best power. Nuclear is [insert nationality]! Nuclear is how to win all the things! Go nuclear!
|