"The Battle of Chernobyl" and Nuclear Power

I'm not putting this in the TV section as it will get lost.

Tonight I watched a really excellent programme on the Discovery Channel about Chernobyl, and the effect that the explosion there back in 1985 is still having till this day.

I found it really interesting that the Russians (including Gorbachev) were saying in the programme that they recognized after Chernobyl happened, just how deadly nuclear technology is. This is apparently what prompted Gorbachev to eliminate some of their larger nuclear warheads in the late 80's and early 90's. Several of the men talking, including Gorbachev, said that what the world needs is to find a cleaner source of energy. Ultimately, they said that what the devastation at Chernobyl taught them was that nuclear techonology was not safe in the hands of humans.

My first reaction was one of relief to learn that Russia (according to this programme) no longer builds nuclear power plants, and that they had such a forward-thinking ideology about energy creation.

However, then my next reaction was how come both the UK and the USA want to continue building nuclear power plants and keep stressing that this would be "clean" energy. How is it that what happened at Chernobyl (which affected areas all throughout Europe, much like the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud) has not made the world leaders as a whole wake up to what could potentially happen when we use nuclear energy? What makes world leaders want to continue to pursue this form of energy, before even thinking about things like wind and solar power?

Ultimately, if a nuclear power plant went bad somewhere in the UK, we all would be affected by the fallout from it in some way. So why isn't more done to try to replace the nuclear power plants?

 

There was a very bad accident here too, at a place called three mile island, i dunno what happened..

i guess there still pursuing nuclear power to help end our dependence on oil..

Love
sidney

 

the world's gotta end somehow, but i don't know if a nuclear holocaust or the introduction of ice-nine would be worse....

 

I've heard about 3 mile Island as well; but it wasn't even close to being as bad as Chernobyl from my understanding of it. I believe 3 mile Island was pretty much contained to the island?

Thing is, why are they pursuing something that could be even more damaging to the environment than oil already is?
Shouldn't more efforts be made to promote wind and solar?

he he

don't worry about me, i'm de-militarized.

 

Well i don't think there is any way you can generate enough power with wind or solar to maintain factories or cities..

Love
sidney

 

It's all pretty dodgy. There has been rumors around my area forevermore that the power plant in the town next to mine is overdue for closure, and it is not safe to operate. Chernobyl was the worst nuclear error of all time more or less, and it's accidents like that that certainly make you stand up and take notice of this productions deadly effect.

So, even if it is all talk (which is probably is), it's not something that people would even want to risk. Personally, weapons of mass destruction do not seem worth it in my eyes. To this day Chernobyl is in a appalling condition, they are building a new Sarcophagus which is costing millions. I mean, what's the point? The place has come near massive problems since the nuclear incident and they have had fires due to hydrogen leaks since.

I agree they should be considering other forms of power, but it is true that they do produce masses amounts of energy safer sources right now cannot do themselves.


It's just one horrible mess, and we are a little tentative, maybe naive to what we are truly dealing with. The Russians were forced to be a little more clear with what they had been up to also I believe, so this again proves what little you know about the dangers surrounding yourself each and every day. I wish nuclear power would disappear but it seems unlikely.

Didn't see the program but had realized it was being aired, should have tuned in.

 

im totally against nuclear power...we should make the most of nature....
i cant see how there is a choice between "wind-weels" and nuclear power.
what are the ppl on, that say they spoil their view and landscape...

 

i dunno, maybe look at it this way, there's over 400 nuclear power plants in operation around the world, and i've only heard of two accidents, whereas look at all the problems they have with drilling for Oil..

Love
sidney

 

but who is causing the problems with the oil??
and what is causing more damage?

 

Well the oil spills seem to cause a great deal of damage..

Love
sidney

 

yes that is ovious...im thinking more about the politics.
man oh man.....
do we really need oil???

 

Well if we wanna drive our cars, in some cases heat our homes and so on, yea right now and for the foreseeable future we need oil..

Love
sidney

 

do we?

 

Well until my car can run on my used bath water yea i need oil..

Love
sidney

 

There are seven billion people in the world. Solar power or wind power are not the answer right now. Doesn't mean they will never be, but it's irrational as of this moment.


But yeah, on the flip side, there may have only been a handful of accidents at these power plants as Sydney said, but you only have to watch Erin Brockovich to understand how else power plants of any nature can spread havoc around their surrounding area's

Although not quite as diabolical as oil collection, power plants are lethal and subjectively be a no go, but then people seem to forget everything objective about keeping them.

As it stands at the moment, with Chernobyl and what not is simple: shit happens. I know that might sound controversial but we have put ourselves in a corner with how we operate the world around us and what we rely on to function. It's all down to money and politics, I mean think of oil and cars

they can run a car on water. But they don't. Oil is non-renewable, it's inelastic, thus it's taxed to hell. No one can put a good heart before their own greed, it seems.

 

Windscale 1957...you know it, goes by the name Sellafield now. Fire broke out in one of the reactors, enquiry put it down to human error, bad management and faulty instruments. I was 11 years old at the time and my uncle was part of the team who went in to deal with it. He never spoke of the experience, not even when he was diagnosed with a form of leukaemia that could only have been caused by radiation. Years after his death, his widow recieved compensation, an an acknowledgement perhaps of the cause.

While I'm not totally against nuclear power, I reckon the whole industry needs tightened up...which now the Americans, having taken over Sellafield, hopefully will do. Ask anyone who works there, it's a holiday camp, money for doing nothing, and I mean nothing.

For far too long this council has depended on the nuclear industry for employment, they've never looked at other ways of bringing trade. Jobs are on the line now, even though there's talk of 3 new plants being built in this area. The incompetence of it all doesn't bear thinking about. Just lately 5 bags of low level waste went missing, taken to the domestic dump instead of being buried in chambers below ground. Why? the scanner wasn't working properly. Had it not been for Greenpeace, they'd still be pumping shit into the Irish Sea.

General Election time now and a vote for Labour has to be a vote for nuclear power...so they think. But, there has been a saying around here for many,many years, and that is, that, people would vote for anything with a red ribbon around it's neck...even a pig.

 

Hah, in light of recent Labour news I don't think there's going to be much nuclear power coming our way then, it seems

 

Sorry I don't have time to respond in more detail at the moment; but if you want to catch this programme here are some dates/times of it being repeated.


All times are for it showing on Discovery (as that is the only channel airing it at the moment, obviously shown on the +1 as well)

2 May at 1PM
2 May at 11PM

It's a two hour long programme. If I can find any more times it is airing, then I will pass it along.

 

yeah but many people onley use their car out of convenience...i think the number of cars on the roads could be halfed if people really wanted to...and there is other ways to heat our homes...id prefer a burner or open fire any day.
i guess we need some petrol etc, for emergency vehicles atm...so no we couldnt do completeley without, but dont need half as much as we are "guzzeling" atm...

and yup Imangenary Being, i guess we cant produce enough natural enegy atm, to power everything, but making a start.
it just gets me how people would rather see a power plant, and moan about wind weels etc...
oviousley they prefer the invisible danger...

 

Oooo geeez i live in the suburbs, everything is too far away without my car, well we have gas heat, but we also have a big fireplace that i always have going..

Love
sidney