Prime Minister Shinzo Abe proposes re-opening plants shuttered after disaster
Nuclear
Nuclear Fusion Just Got a Little Closer to Becoming a Reality
Atomic fusion could produce limitless energy—but scientists haven’t been able to harness it. But a novel experiment suggests it could be achievable
Amid Economic and Safety Concerns, Nuclear Advocates Pin Their Hopes on New Designs
Nuclear power may be good for the climate, but the industry faces major challenges as it looks to expand. Advanced reactor designs — if they can become a reality — could make the difference
Nuclear Energy Is Largely Safe. But Can It Be Cheap?
Outside of the developing world, nuclear energy is on the retreat, thanks largely to the spiraling costs of new atomic plants. But innovative reactor designs could change the equation
Radioactive Green: Pandora’s Promise Rethinks Nuclear Power
Early in the new documentary Pandora’s Promise, which opens nationwide today, British environmental writer Mark Lynas travels to the Japanese town of Fukushima, now famous as the site of a 2011 nuclear meltdown. Lynas is a …
Leaks, Rats and Radioactivity: Fukushima’s Nuclear Cleanup Is Faltering
The Fukushima meltdown hasn’t been the public-health disaster that many critics feared, but TEPCO has struggled with the cleanup. The latest news that groundwater is becoming contaminated by the stricken reactors is one more …
Meltdown: Despite the Fear, the Health Risks from the Fukushima Accident Are Minimal
The nuclear accident at Japan’s Fukushima plant caused the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people and sparked fears of a health catastrophe. But nearly two years after the meltdown, a World Health Organization reports says …
“What must be admitted, very painfully, is that this was a disaster ‘Made in Japan.' Its fundamental causes are to be found in the ingrained conventions of Japanese culture: our reflexive obedience; our reluctance to question authority; our devotion to ‘sticking with the program;’ our groupism; and our insularity.”
Nuked: A Year After Fukushima, Nuclear Power Is Down — and Carbon Is Up
The Fukushima nuclear disaster didn’t kill a single person, but it may take out an industry: the nuclear power industry. That’s what it looks like — at least in developed countries like Japan — nearly a year after the …
How Bad Was Fukushima?
The headlines were extraordinary: “Japan Weighed Evacuating Tokyo in Nuclear Crisis,” the New York Times wrote a few days ago. “Tokyo Evacuation ‘Was Considered’,” said the Sydney Morning Herald. “Japan Urged Calm While It Mulled …