Japanese Nuclear Crisis; Political Fallout

As the situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant worsens, there has been a tempered response from most world leaders. German prime minister Angela Merkel announced this week that her government would temporarily suspend seven of the nation's nuclear power plants, but her response is not in line with international reaction. Czechoslovakia and France both responded by stating they would not yield to "nuclear hysteria" or reduce the role of nuclear energy in their countries futures. President Barack Obama stated he will continue to emphasize nuclear energy development, and while Chinese officials announced they would suspend nuclear energy project proposals temporarily, one can rest assured that such actions will soon be rescinded (see previous post).

The question then becomes two fold. Do American's feel that this crisis is justification to reduce the emphasis on nuclear energy, and is this incident reflective of universally applicable problems inherent in the technology ? The answer to the first question is difficult to answer. It is still too soon to know how American's feel in light of the crisis in Japan, but somewhat recent polls, such as this one from Gallup, suggest that a majority of American's support the use of nuclear power. The second question is a bit easier to address. The circumstances surrounding the destruction of the Japanese plant are unique. They were damaged by a once in a century earthquake (Japan is located in a major earthquake area) and a subsequent once in a lifetime tsunami. As a result, it is difficult to say how reflective this crisis is when looking at American use of nuclear power. What brought about this catastrophe has no bearing on potential nuclear energy problems in the U.S., though it does not mean that problems do not exist of a different variety.

While politicians will surely need to address the crisis in Japan when discussing future development of nuclear energy here in the states, it is clear that linking the disaster abroad with potential issues at home is unfair.