Nuclear energy has always been known for the dangers associated with it. Radiation, first discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie, are penetrating rays and particles emitted by a radioactive substance. These penetrating rays can damage human cells, making them dangerous to human’s health. After one of the strongest earthquakes in recorded history, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, hit Japan on March 11th, 2011. It was followed by a tsunami with waves reaching over 40.5 meters. The tsunami caused three major meltdowns in the Fukushima Daiichi Power plant’s nuclear reactors, resulting in radiation to leaking out and threatening to harm nearby civilians. The meltdowns brought attention to the dangers of nuclear energy once again, causing Japan and countries
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Before the nuclear accident, nuclear energy had been a national priority since 1973, as it was Japan’s only self-sufficient source of energy (“Nuclear Power,” 2015). After the accident, an Energy & Environment Council was set up in July of, introducing the plan of lowering Japan’s nuclear power use to 25 to as little as 0% (“Nuclear Power,” 2015). Enecan, an energy company, proposed a plan that would cut out nuclear energy use by 2040. (“Nuclear Power,” 2015.) All 48 of Japan’s nuclear reactors were taken offline (Kottasova, 2014). Despite the decadence of these plans, Japan relied of nuclear energy, one of the only forms of energy that wasn’t exported from other countries. According to the World Nuclear Association (2015), Japan imports up to 84% of its energy requirements, although the Energy Information Administration (2015) claims that the percent is as high as 99%, as indicated by the graph to the left. Because of the economic instability of importing all of its energy requirements, it’s no surprise that Japan discarded its nebulous plans and returned to nuclear energy. The first nuclear power plant since Fukushima opened back up in November of 2014 (“First Japanese Nuclear Power,” 2014). First Yuichiro Ito, the governor of the town Kagoshima, agreed with the decision to restart two …show more content…
31 countries involved in the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), formed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), came together to evaluate and improve nuclear safety after the dangerous accident at Fukushima. The OECD reviewed and improved standard procedures during rare and extreme external and internal hazards, and how to deal with them, especially if multiple hazards appear at once (“The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant,” 2013). Immediately following the Fukushima meltdown, Germany took eight of its oldest reactors offline, and furthermore planned on a phase-out of all remaining reactors by 2022 (Kottasova, 2014). Switzerland created a similar plan, describing a phase-out of its nuclear energy by 2034 (Kottasova, 2014). Other countries, such as the U.S.A and France, remain consistent with their nuclear reactors, choosing to keep all the reactors they have running (Kottasova,
Before the nuclear accident, nuclear energy had been a national priority since 1973, as it was Japan’s only self-sufficient source of energy (“Nuclear Power,” 2015). After the accident, an Energy & Environment Council was set up in July of, introducing the plan of lowering Japan’s nuclear power use to 25 to as little as 0% (“Nuclear Power,” 2015). Enecan, an energy company, proposed a plan that would cut out nuclear energy use by 2040. (“Nuclear Power,” 2015.) All 48 of Japan’s nuclear reactors were taken offline (Kottasova, 2014). Despite the decadence of these plans, Japan relied of nuclear energy, one of the only forms of energy that wasn’t exported from other countries. According to the World Nuclear Association (2015), Japan imports up to 84% of its energy requirements, although the Energy Information Administration (2015) claims that the percent is as high as 99%, as indicated by the graph to the left. Because of the economic instability of importing all of its energy requirements, it’s no surprise that Japan discarded its nebulous plans and returned to nuclear energy. The first nuclear power plant since Fukushima opened back up in November of 2014 (“First Japanese Nuclear Power,” 2014). First Yuichiro Ito, the governor of the town Kagoshima, agreed with the decision to restart two …show more content…
31 countries involved in the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), formed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), came together to evaluate and improve nuclear safety after the dangerous accident at Fukushima. The OECD reviewed and improved standard procedures during rare and extreme external and internal hazards, and how to deal with them, especially if multiple hazards appear at once (“The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant,” 2013). Immediately following the Fukushima meltdown, Germany took eight of its oldest reactors offline, and furthermore planned on a phase-out of all remaining reactors by 2022 (Kottasova, 2014). Switzerland created a similar plan, describing a phase-out of its nuclear energy by 2034 (Kottasova, 2014). Other countries, such as the U.S.A and France, remain consistent with their nuclear reactors, choosing to keep all the reactors they have running (Kottasova,