Chapter Three: Is Nuclear Energy Dangerous?

Published August 01, 2019

While many point to Chernobyl and Fukushima to indicate nuclear power plants’ dangers, the nuclear plants were not the issue. The Chernobyl disaster occurred due to an unauthorized experiment, which disarmed all the safety systems. The Fukushima catastrophe, on the other hand, occurred due to an incompatible design structure. Despite the incidences, the global nuclear industry is thriving. In fact, many experts believe that nuclear power does not pose a nuclear risk but is required to confront the mounting dangers of climate change. 

Video Recorded: August 23, 2018

Discussion Questions

1. What are the advantages of nuclear power?
2. Do you think that nuclear power plants are inherently unstable?
3. Could nuclear energy help the third world to develop carbon-free economies?

Additional Readings

• Watch "Redefining Energy Security" by Admiral James O. Ellis Jr., available here.
• Read James O. Ellis Jr.’s chapter “Redefining Energy Security” in Blueprint for America available here.
• You can find the rest of “Blueprint for America” here.
• Read the “The Benefits Of Nuclear Power” by Admiral James O. Ellis Jr. , George P. Shultz, available here.
• Admiral James O. Ellis discusses nuclear energy at Stanford University in “Reinventing Nuclear Energy.” Available here.