Antinuclear Movement

The discussion about nuclear energy can be divided into two parts. Firstly we have the usage of nuclear energy for bellic purposes and then we also have the usage of nuclear energy as a way of obtaining electricity. Both have disadvantages but we can’t say the same about their benefits.

Although the generation of electricity in power plants is highly fruitful and effective, the dangers it entails are not to be messed with. We have, for instance, the safety of the workers, the high difficulty in disposing of radioactive waste, and the imminent malfunctioning of an insignificant screw that may burn the whole place down as it happened in Chernobyl. On the other side of the coin, there is the destruction and chaos its usage for bellic purposes can bring not to a specific target, but the world.

All these risks gave life to the Antinuclear movement that had its first steps during WW2 and that is currently very present nowadays. This social movement opposed both sides of the coin (energy production and war). The goals of the anti-nuclear movement range from emphasizing peace and environmentalism to social activism based on knowledge of nuclear technology, to political activism based on the conflict between nuclear power applications and policies and personal values. For the activists, the solution resides in the proliferation of alternative energy sources like solar or wind energy and some even proclaim the stoppage of nuclear development and research.

Following the incidents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the second world war, President John F. Kennedy signed, jointly with the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom the Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty which prohibited the testing of nuclear weapons underwater, in the atmosphere, or in outer space. Throughout the 1960s the movement continued to grow motivated by an environment of fear, trepidation, and apprehension caused by the Cold War.

To sum up, it’s hard not to agree with the activist when they present such strong evidence of the misusage of nuclear energy but we also need to be realistic and understand that we can’t replace an energy source equivalent to 10% of the world’s electricity in a blink of an eye. In what regards to its usage for bellic purposes, unfortunately, there are never winners in any war around the world, there is only 1 participant and that guy always loses… his name is Humanity.