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The Impacts of Chernobyl Nuclear Accident in the US Nuclear energy used to be a dream energy source because it did not emit air pollutants as long as they were operating properly. The US government and Utility Companies invested billions of dollars to build and develop nuclear power plants. However, its magic was collapsed on April 26, 1986. A series of explosions in a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl blew the massive roof off the reactor building and flung radioactive debris and dust high into the atmosphere to encircle the plant. Although the Chernobyl accident was thousands of miles away and did not cause direct damage to the US, we were able to experience the tragedy through the media. This accident took thousands of lives and contaminated the land, but it resulted in bringing the following positive effects in the US: people became aware of the risks involved with nuclear power, it led to public opposition, and the government and utility companies tried to find cleaner and safer alternative energy sources.
Through the media, people became aware of the risks involved with using nuclear power as an energy source. Before the accident, the majority of people were ignorant in regards to nuclear power, and it was only understood among the physicists. However, it became public knowledge after the incident. The media reported how the system worked. The heat, which was generated by a nuclear fission chain reaction, can produce high-pressure steam, which spins turbines that in turn generate electricity. Also, the media reported the serious damages of the accident and visualized them.
The explosion took 32, 000 lives, contaminated 62, 000 square miles of the land with radioactivity, and a half-million people suffered from cancers (Miller, 1999, p. 540). In spite of this distant accident, such virtual experiences through the media generalized more knowledge of nuclear power and its risk. With the penetration of knowledge towards the risk of nuclear power plants, a fierce public opposition was formed. Since the Three Mile Island nuclear plant lost its coolant water seven years before the Chernobyl accident due to a series of mechanical failure and human operator errors not anticipated in safety studies, people begun having doubts about its safety.
The Chernobyl accident proved that nuclear power was unquestionably unsafe. People strongly opposed the placement of nuclear power plants around their neighborhoods. As a result, no new nuclear power plants have been ordered, and all 120 plants ordered since 1973 have been canceled (Miller, 1999, p. 550). People were also concerned about the waste disposal. The remaining radioactive waste must be safely stored for at least 10, 000 years; otherwise, the rod must be stored safely for at least 240, 000 years. It is impossible to demonstrate that any method will work for 10, 000 ~ 240, 000 years of fail-safe storage needed for such wastes (Miller, 1999, P. 551 ~ 555).
As a result, the plans of opening nuclear storage sites have caused more fierce public opposition. As a result of the tragedy and rising public opposition, the US government and utility companies invested to find cleaner and safer energy sources. Before the nuclear age, the utility companies mostly burned coals to generate electricity. However, this method also had met many problems, such as causing air pollution and accelerating global warming.
The government and utility companies are now developing geothermal, hydroelectric, tidal, solar, wind, and biomass energies to produce electricity. Although these methods have not yet well established, they have come to the following general conclusions: the best alternatives are a combination of improved energy efficiency and greatly increased use of locally available renewable energy resources, and we cannot and should not depend mostly on a single nonrenewable energy source (Miller, 1999, p. 559). Thus, the US government and utility companies have developed cleaner and safer alternative sources because people have become aware of the risk of nuclear energy through virtual experiences. In conclusion, the Chernobyl nuclear accident has taught us that a major nuclear accident anywhere will effect people everywhere. The accident took thousands of lives and contaminated the land. However, it taught us some important lessons.
We gained the important knowledge about nuclear power needed to become aware of its risk, leading to public opposition and spurring the government and utility companies into finding cleaner and safer alternatives. Hopefully, we can find and establish alternative energy sources, which will enable us to live in a safe world. Miller, George T, Jr. Environmental science: working with the earth. Belmont: Wadsworth, 1999. Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on The Impacts Of Chernobyl Nuclear Accident In Us
