Sci 207 - the Meltdown and Nuclear Energy

The Meltdown and Nuclear Energy

Casandra McNeese-Stanley

SCI207

Nicole Reale

October 3, 2011

The Meltdown and Nuclear Energy

How did the nuclear disaster affect the world today? It did more harm than it probably intended to if there was intention at all. Japan had the most affect from it leaving them homeless, jobless, and no life at all. March 2011 was the day that the survivals in Japan will always remember just like 9-11 for us. Because nuclear power can generate electricity without carbon dioxide emissions, it has been identified as a potentially useful way to meet our energy needs in a "climate-friendly" manner ( Turk, 2011).

In a nuclear power plant, the chain reaction is controlled, and the heat released in the fission process is used to boil water and produce steam to spin a turbine and generate electricity. O'Brien-Bours stated, "there is a threat of a nuclear meltdown--but there is also a chance that an asteroid will slam into the Earth on December 12, 2012" (Turk, 2011). We read that and think is this true or is this something a scientist is predicting. No one really knows if it is or not, but anything is possible. I do not think Japan was prepared for the disaster that hit them or did they know it was about to happen. We can try to stop things of the sort from happening before it does, but it is going to take a lot of knowledge and well prepared people to beat it.

"According to government statements, most of the 800 workers at the plant had been withdrawn, leaving 50 or so workers in a desperate effort to keep the cores of three stricken reactors cooled with seawater pumped by firefighting equipment, while the same crews battled to put out the fire at the No. 4 reactor," says Sanger ( nytimes, 2011).

Chernobyl an accident that occurred on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian SSR resulting in the release of large quantities of radioactive contamination into the atmosphere ( Turk, 2011). The Chernobyl disaster was caused by the absurd inefficiencies of the Soviets and massive flaws in the power plant's design. After suffering the worse disaster ever Japan has prepared themselves just in case they were to undergo another tragic of that nature. They have a plan in place like Chernobyl and that is to pour concrete over it.

Japan suffered the worse tragic of the year in March of 2011 leaving people without houses, jobs, and families. They were however able to set a plan in place to be on the safe side of this happening again. They have the right mind frame using the nuclear power to cut down on carbon dioxide emissions, but a better