Or in other words, how to turn a commonly-known-as terrifying and cruel source of energy, into a neutral, and let us say positive, resource — just like the water that flows from our taps
The problem: for years, since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Chernobil and Fukoshima — the fumes of power plants have mystified any debate over them. Most of the world views power plants as the infrastructure for doomsday weapons that could derail the superpowers into committing historic atrocities. Every tiny mistake can lead to horrific consequences. It’s not that there aren’t nuclear power plants in the world. But they are few, compared to the potential they hold. The public’s perception of them remains extremely negative, and for good reasons. But… What if we saw the opportunity in them?
Nuclear power plants are in fact the Green New Energy that our planet so desperately needs. They have zero polluting emissions and they can potentially fuel entire countries without relying on the dwindling reserves of fossil fuels. Now that Europe is facing an unprecedented crisis in supply of gas, mainly due to Russia’s war in the Ukraine but also due to the lack of clear policy around alternative energy in the era of global warming — It is evident that the world needs to find alternative resources, and fast. But how can we change the public’s antagonism toward nuclear power plants? Simply put, we need to reset our values and find appropriate language to go along with it.
Create a sense of urgency: There is no other way, the time is now. World leaders already know that the situation is bad and that if they don’t act NOW, it’s only going to get worse. We’re already in the crisis, it is not a future threat. Some countries are already experiencing long and hard winters, with millions of their citizens freezing to death because they don’t have enough money to invest in renewable energy. Parts of the world are transitioning from a life of prosperity and well-being to a life of enormous catastrophe. In such conditions, we need to act fast. Oil and coal are running out, and the world is less keen on paying the polluting costs of those energies. At the same time though, bad planning, lack of governments’ investments in renewable energy and a baseless notion of optimism — left us barehanded. Meanwhile, there is an available alternative resource, but we’re simply too spoiled to open up to it. Maybe if we understood the severity of the problem we would be willing to have a listen?
Show the public the true, deadly colors of this impending catastrophe. We are slowly but surely killing living beings every single day. Aside from the pain and suffering caused by diseases that could have been prevented — we are also paying a very high toll for quarried and mined energy, that is chipping away at our reserves for the overall development of our societies: education, tech, health and welfare. Countries are paying in hard currency because we all have irrational fears. Is it worth it?
Nuclear plants don’t kill people, people kill people. And that is why humans should be heavily restricted as the world transitions into nuclear energy. In both of the two nuclear disasters, there was a collapsing regime and a culture of deceit (Chernobyl) or bad planning that ignored the possibility of a natural disaster strike and a culture of cover-up (Fukoshima). In both incidents, the key element of disaster was human, and that’s what we have to restrain. We can do so by strict international oversight and close government supervision; transparency in public activity reports; and end consumers as representatives in regulatory bodies that will be monitoring the nuclear plants. Another thing we should keep in mind is that time is a positive factor. Technological advancements will change engineering as well as command and control systems for the better.
The future plants will be safer, no doubt. They already can produce energy that is 100% clean.
Imagine a world without coal. What kind of world will our grandchildren live in? What will a world in which the usage of fossil fuels is almost non-existent? What will oncological wards look like? What will it feel like to stand in the middle of a bustling city, with zero smog and breathable fresh air that doesn’t make you feel like you’re running up a hill? There is another future. It is within our reach. We just have to choose it.
Bottom line is, we must embrace this narrative with full force. Saving the planet and the billions of humans and species on it depends on nuclear energy. Nuclear technology of the 21st century is safe and enduring. As of today, it is the only solution that will ensure the persistence of the human race in this century and in those to come