People seem totally panicked about nuclear power's potential to kill thousands of people if not used properly. These same people don't seem nearly as panicked with our national transportation system that actually IS killing thousands of people per year or the hundreds of coal miners that have died providing our current sources of power.
2006-09-13 11:25:43 · 15 answers · asked by BobbyD 4 in Social Science ➔ Sociology
A lot of people, when they think of nuclear power, think of Three Mile Island or Chernobyl. The former was a freak accident; the latter was inherently one of the world's most dangerous plants. There is only one other Chernobyl-style plant, in Lithuania, and experts from all over Europe have poured money and personnel into it to insure its safety. I've been there; it's safely run and super-secure. But most people don't understand that and fear some sort of explosion (not possible) or "China syndrome."
A more valid concern is the amount of waste generated. Spent fuel rods are accumulating all over the country. They will be hot for tens of thousands of years. To date there has been no agreement as to what to do with them. That's the really scary part.
2006-09-13 11:36:06 · answer #1 · answered by keepsondancing 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Activists, media hype, politics and ignorance. Contrary to popular belief, practical alternate energy can supply about 10% of the energy needs. Until the US accepts nuclear power as the only currently practical way out, the energy crisis will continue. France generates 80% of its electrical energy from nuclear power. If they can do, we certainly can. Otherwise, we can keep burning more and more coal and importing more and more oil and gas as the current nuclear plants retire.
2006-09-13 18:39:53 · answer #2 · answered by williegod 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's because we live in a visual society and people are hooked on images. The pictures that came out of Chernobyl and other nuclear disaster sites have been terrifying, and that's what people remember. It makes me laught that Italians had a referendum outlawing nuclear power stations, so they buy their power from French nuclear reactors that are only a few kilometers from the Italian border!
2006-09-13 18:34:05 · answer #3 · answered by Jetgirly 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For me, if there is a major accident, it is because there is a problem with the long term effects on the existing families, their children, and their children's children. For example, research the chernobyl accident which happened in 1986. That region of the world is still affected by the disaster even though it was 20 years ago.
2006-09-13 18:35:39 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, Chernobyl is a good example to answer your question. Though in that case, the plant was rather obsolete and there was mismanagement, the consequences are still felt nowadays.
2006-09-13 18:37:13 · answer #5 · answered by lucrecia 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because it can kill thousands of people at any given time...remembered three mile island..in Pennsylvania...and in Russia thousands of people died when a nuclear power plant caught fire...still no one lives in that area...its still contaminated.
2006-09-13 22:11:28 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Radiation poisoning is a really nasty, ugly way to die. If you've seen it you wouldn't want to see it again.
Also, people have a tendency to fear what they don't understand.
It's a shame, though, that we don't make more use of safe, renewable, non-polluting sources like solar power.
2006-09-13 18:38:11 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's because neither of these other systems produce byproducts that can be deadly for thousands of years.
2006-09-13 18:27:43 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There have been nuclear meltdowns before as well. People don't want that to happen again.
2006-09-13 18:35:19 · answer #9 · answered by detroitkid17 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look up Chernyobyl.
2006-09-13 18:27:52 · answer #10 · answered by craigrr929 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋