Raghav Daga Week 11 - The History of Power
Society today runs on power. From our phones to our cars, almost no aspect of our day is untouched by a man-made energy source. While debates in popular media today focus on the arguments between oil and renewable methods like solar and wind, a single, reliable, and scientifically marvelous energy source lies in the background powering 9% of global energy needs today: nuclear power. Nuclear power produces far fewer air pollutants, requires less natural resources, and is reliable regardless of weather conditions. Adding to the list of advantages, the abundance of resources needed for nuclear power keeps it separated from global politics and supply chains, and its prospect of mass employment in construction and operation means that a nuclear power revolution can benefit all of society. The benefits are limitless, yet some factors force this energy source into the background.
Although nuclear power is considered safe and sustainable, its impacts on the environment are still significant. The waste produced by nuclear power generation lasts for thousands of years and must be safely disposed of underground, or the radioactive chemical waste may begin to contaminate land and water resources. Nuclear power also requires a large amount of area for production and mining, both of which can damage terrain and the environment. The thermal pollution created can also hurt marine and wildlife, altering the environment most suitable for their survival. On the other hand, developing more nuclear technology, and its dual-use purpose in weapons of mass destruction leaves governments in fear of militarization, once again barring nuclear energy from making its move into widespread commercial use.
Still, the biggest drawback of this energy source was experienced in one of the most famous accidents that occurred within the Soviet Union—Chernobyl. A nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union exploded due to improper maintenance led to radioactive contamination of a massive area, causing generations of birth defects to those affected and leaving that entire area of land uninhabitable. A similar accident occurred in Fukushima, Japan, where an unpredictable tsunami hit the power plant, causing a mishap that spewed radioactive waste into the entire surrounding area and left the area uninhabitable. The fear of such freak accidents leaves nuclear power far separate from populated areas.
Fukushima Nuclear Accident
Ultimately, a growing human population bringing a greater demand for power, as well as the constantly depleting oil resources in the world have augmented the need for new sources of energy. Although diminished from the discussion today, the potential benefits of nuclear energy can far outweigh the risks with the technology we have today. Looking back through history may find an answer for the future.
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ReplyDeleteHello Raghav. Your blog was a refreshing take on this quarter's blog theme. I like how you literally wrote about power in a physical sense. I like how you organized your blog, first discussing the myriad of benefits of nuclear power and then transitioning into the downsides of it. I agree that nuclear power deserves to be further explored as its benefits are truly amazing. However, what I am most wary of is the threat of nuclear weapons. As nuclear technology becomes more advanced, it also becomes more widespread. If those with malicious intent, say a terrorist group, were able to get some, they would be able to use them with relatively less fear of repercussion than if another country's government did.
ReplyDeleteHi Raghav! I found your blog to be a very interesting take on the theme for this quarter; I would have never thought to discuss power in the literal sense! Your opening was very effective, as most people have been discussing power in a societal sense and your first sentence, “[s]ociety today runs on power,” transitions seamlessly between the two takes on the word power. Furthermore, I appreciate the way that you connected the use of nuclear power to aspects which are more visible. Although it is known that the world should ideally shift away from nonrenewable resources and that nuclear power is a good but somewhat dangerous possibility, it could have been hard to comprehend the destructive power of nuclear energy. However, your inclusion of an image of a nuclear disaster and descriptions of other disasters made the dangers of nuclear energy far more tangible, as previously I simply thought it would be a good alternative energy source and did not process just how dangerous it could be.
ReplyDeleteHey Raghav! Upon reading your title I thought I had an idea of what your article was about, but I was caught off guard when I read it. I thought it was such a creative take on word play, and was thoroughly hooked upon reading it. As I was reading your article, It brought about a good point that we don’t often think about. Power, in your terms, is something we use everyday, and is telling of how industrialized we have become as a society over the years. Yet, we very rarely in our day to day think about the impacts that power has on our environment, more importantly, I think our government most often overlooks environmental impacts because of great power competition. Oftentimes so caught up in military competition with other growing powers, they forget that there will be no power to uphold if there is no land to live on. Your post was a really big eye opener on the changes that must be done structurally and individually when we look at disasters like the explosion in Fukushima. Thanks for sharing!
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