Chernobyl - 20 Years Later

Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Unfortunately we have not made a whole lot of progress since that horrible tragedy and Bush considers the addition of new reactors vital to the future of America's energy policy.

I was lucky enough to see Amory Lovins speak recently, and the focus of his talk that evening was nuclear energy. His think tank, the Rocky Mountain Institute or RMI, is unique in its opposition to nuclear energy. Rather than dwell on the environmental issues it focuses on the economic shortcomings. As always the dollar amounts get politicians attention in ways that environmental issues don't.

From the Rocky Mountain Institute's nuclear power guide:

RMI's position on nuclear power is that:

• It's too expensive. Nuclear power has proved much more costly than projected - and more to the point, more costly than most other ways of generating or saving electricity. If utilities and governments are serious about markets, rather than propping up pet technologies at the expense of ratepayers, they should pursue the best buys first.

• Nuclear power plants are not only expensive, they're also financially extremely risky because of their long lead times, cost overruns, and open-ended liabilities.

• Contrary to an argument nuclear apologists have recently taken to making, nuclear power isn't a good way to curb climate change. True, nukes don't produce carbon dioxide - but the power they produce is so expensive that the same money invested in efficiency or even natural-gas-fired power plants would offset much more climate change.

• And of course nuclear power poses significant problems of radioactive waste disposal and the proliferation of potential nuclear weapons material. (However, RMI tends to stress the economic arguments foremost because they carry more weight with decision-makers.)

Additional Links:
The Chernobyl nightmare revisited.
The Rocky Mountain Institute guide to nuclear power.
UNICEF

Update:
Magnum Photos has published an unbelievable piece called "Chernobyl Legacy" on their Magnum in Motion website documenting the toll the radiation has taken on the local population.
Warning: this essay is completely heartbreaking.