Notwithstanding Steffen's comment about an inappropriate focus not upon the people who have lost their lives I must say I hold grave concern for the future impacts of this crisis. WE can not change the recent past and it is not inappropriate to dwell upon a sad future.
AND it is impossible to separate the politics from this disaster. It is the politics that serves us the future of a world less safe than we would like.
I was disgusted to see our old mate Ziggy Z still offering straight faced reassurance that NP is all good as if nothing of consequence was happening and if is happening we should trust in the NP vision of clean power.
Are humans so arrogant that they can not grasp that notwithstanding their best efforts and their best laid plans that accidents do happen.
The reason accidents are so named is to indicate the occurrence of an unforeseen result and the best of science or engineering simply can never prevent an accident and are only left wringing their hands after each disaster.
Japans experience, where their history dictates earthquakes are the norm, has placed them well prepared for accidents yet accidents are not being managed such that all is remotely satisfactory. Can we not accept the fact that irrespective of our greatness the best of plans can be inadequate.
Np is a most wonderful resource but maybe we should limit its application to space travel to places where we receive no Sun and there is simply no alternative power source and any accident will not impact on all humanity. AND even that is not without risk as the vehicle leaves our planet.
We have all heard that we breath the same molecules that Hitler or other villains breathed throughout history so I ask how long will it be before all of us breath air contaminated via any of these accidents.
The NP lobby has sidelined coal for years as something to fear pushing their "brand" as being most wonderful as it will saves the polar bears etc... what nonsense we do accept when it is pushed upon us from vested interests unconcerned with human welfare and only with their focus upon profit.
I read today that all over folk are getting their NP plants "checked" as if you can fence a cow once it has run off thru the open gate and trampled the neighbors garden. The NP cow can never be safely and certainly fenced and will always from time to time cause damage to the neighbors lands.
I feel upset I am driven to comment on what could be called a political issue but it is really an engineering an science issue.... it is the politics that drives engineers and scientists to suggest they can do the impossible feat of predicting accidents and without diminishing their abilities clearly no human can foresee everything.
alex
