Global Chernobyl

There is an interesting article this morning in Zaman, a Turkish online newspaper. The possibility of an energy crisis in Turkey inspired them to speak with four nuclear experts. The questions (and answers) are very general, but what gets to me is that they only spoke to experts who are clearly pro-nuclear. All four repeatedly say that nuclear energy is very safe and clean and completely understate nuclear waste and the possibilty of accidents. Professor Lefteri Tsoukalas, head of Purdue University's Nuclear Energy Department said:

"Chernobyl was the worst nuclear accident that could have possibly happened. It is very well studied and understood. Overall, we can say now, nearly 20 years after it happened, on the basis of Science, not myth, that its consequences were primarily local and rather limited. There is NO GLOBAL environmental impact from Chernobyl."

This is a flat-out lie. Chernobyl could have been far worse. And saying that there is no global impact is completely ridiculous. Not only was fall-out from the accident detectable globally, but the costs for clean-up and the damage done to the Russian economy are astronomical. And, in our current global economy, it is felt by everyone. The fourth reactor is still emitting dangerous amounts of radiation and building a new, effective sarcophagus is going to cost an estimated $2 billion. Not to mention the figurative cost of all who lost their homes and lives in this disaster. How can anyone possibly say that nuclear energy is cheaper.