Is nuclear energy as good for the environment as it is made out to be?

Japan is reeling under a looming nuclear catastrophe. The memories of Chernobyl disaster have come rushing back. And the million dollar question on everybody’s mind is- “Is nuclear energy as good as it is made out to be?” First, let’s see how nuclear energy is good and what prompted its rise after the Second World War.

Most of the nuclear reactors in Japan were set up in 1970, as is the case with most of the developed world. Although fuel prices were dirt cheap back then, the developed economies were wary of importing their energy needs, and they saw a solution in nuclear energy.

Nuclear energy is the single source of energy which is renewable, has minimal carbon emissions and can deliver more power than any other fuel available out there. Today, it drives 70% of France’s electricity needs and supplied Spain too. US and the UK too depend on it for their energy needs.

And the developing economies are making a rush for it, citing increasing energy requirements and its cost efficiency. Sure, nuclear energy can deliver all that is mentioned above. But what most of us fail to take into account is the effective disposal of the nuclear waste.

Nuclear waste, if not disposed off properly, can do more than just off-set the advantages of nuclear energy. It can cripple the human race for generations to come and cause irreversible damage to the atmosphere. Forget about the waste, what if a reactor goes out of control, likes the ones in Japan? The repercussions can be huge.

Now, the question to be asked is, whether nuclear energy is a worthwhile risk or a progression towards doomsday? The latter seems the more probable answer, considering the fact that most countries adopted nuclear energy as a war weapon. Of course, they disguised it in the advantages of the energy, but that’s what the real purpose is of nations adopting nuclear technology. As a publication very cleverly put it, “it is insurance in the guise of mutual funds”

Ask yourself- would you adopt green ways and urge the governments to look for greener technologies or live under the threat of a nuclear catastrophe every second of your life?