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Special Report |
LAST UPDATE May 18, 2006
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| April 26, 2006 |
20th Anniversary of Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster |
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| The participant-made poster reads: The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, What happened 20 years ago? |
On April 26th 1986 at 1:23 am, a nuclear power plant reactor detonated in the middle of Eastern Europe and the world experienced its worst industrial disaster. Twenty years later, the world still remembers the tragic event of Chernobyl. Peace Boat commemorated the day with two events: an informational session on the Chernobyl disaster and a discussion on the future of nuclear power vs. alternative energy sources. |
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| Professor Ishi recounts the details of the 4th reactor's malfunction. |
Guest Educator Professor Hiroyuki Ishi shared photos of his visit to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. “It is the worst disaster to ever happen,” Prof. Ishi commented as he described the details of the accident. It occurred120 km north of Kiev, Ukraine, during a test of the nuclear power plant's 4th reactor. Safety precautions were ignored and the reactor went out of control. The nuclear explosion released more than a hundred times the radiation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 30 people were immediately killed and 135,000 people living with a twenty-mile radius had to evacuate. |
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| Participants debate their various points of view regarding nuclear energy in a mock classroom. |
The damages did not end there. Winds flying south and west spread the radioactive material as far as Austria and Italy. Rain contaminated lakes and rivers, threatening millions of people's drinking water. Even now radioactive material persists in the uppermost layers of soil, affecting vegetation. In the disaster's aftermath, thyroid cancer and leukemia increased by 64% among people living in affected areas. The number of psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety rose significantly as well.
Lessons have been learnt from the Chernobyl disaster. Since 1986, only a handful of new power plants have been built. There have also been efforts to improve the safety of existing reactors. However, demands for energy have increased, and nuclear power is once again gaining popularity. Prof. Ishi asked participants to consider the idea of cutting back on everyday energy use. He cited an example of a Japanese town that significantly cut back its garbage disposal to avoid building additional garbage incinerators.
Later in the evening, Peace Boat staff Akira Kawasaki and guest educator Hitomi Kamanka lead a discussion called “Nuclear Power Reactors and Energy.” Eight 'students' climbed on stage for a mock classroom and began to discuss their opinions regarding nuclear power. Dividing into groups, they discussed why they were for or against nuclear power. Akira and Hitomi then opened up the question to participants: How many people are for, against, or unsure? An overwhelming amount raised their hands in opposition to nuclear power, though several participants were unsure and a few were for nuclear power. |
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| Hitomi Kamanaka and Akira Kawasaki lead the discussion on the pros and cons of nuclear energy. |
Peace Boat participant, Masaki Takahashi said, “Even though wind and solar energies are quite clean, they’re not very realistic. There are not enough regions in Japan where the power of wind is harnessable, and solar power would drastically change the landscape of Japan. We haven't found anything better than nuclear power.” Other participants chimed in and said that efforts to improve the safety of the facilities are needed to reduce the potential of human error.
Standing in the middle of the issue, Yukio Takahashi (not related) asked participants to consider both sides. “If you are for nuclear power, are you willing to have a nuclear power plant built in your neighborhood? And if you are against, are you willing to make the necessary life changes to reduce your energy consumption? I think these are issues you really have to consider before making a decision,” he said.
Keiko Yamazaki piped up with her opposition to nuclear energy. “I think we can reduce the amount of energy we use. If you compare today with my childhood, there has been such a rapid increase in energy usage. I think offices and companies can make an effort to use less air conditioning during the summer. After learning about the effects of radiation, I find [nuclear power plants] very scary,” she said. |
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Participants considered many factors surrounding the issue of nuclear energy. As many of them are from Japan, they had to consider the safety of building additional nuclear facilities in earthquake-prone land. Participants were also quite shocked to learn that Japan has an eighth of the world's nuclear facilities. In commemoration of the worst natural disaster, participants reexamined their own energy consumption and began to see the many challenges facing the future of energy. |
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