General view of the 'sarcophagus' covering the damaged fourth reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant today, on the 20th anniversary of the largest nuclear accident the world has seen.
Filatova Elena Vladimirovna, a.k.a Gamma Girl, who takes long motorcycle rides in the Chernobyl dead zone makes some interesting points about "Chernie" .
10 comments:
A friend sent me the link to Filatova's pictures some time ago. I thought they were haunting. It's easy to forget about Chernobyl, I suppose, because we never hear mention of it these days. I think it's especially important, though, to remember what nuclear technology can end up leading to... even when used for a productive intent. We especially need to think about it in an age where unstable governments like Iran and North Korea seem hell-bent on developing nukes. We need to be aware of just how serious the situations in Iran and Korea are. What better touchstone than Chernobyl. Good post, cube.
Nuclear energy is a necessary evil, but it has to be rigorously inspected & regulated. Chernobyl happened because they disabled some critical control systems to run a dangerous test. A very stupid thing to do.
I'm not jumping on the Greenpeace bandwagon (they'd have us living without electricity and riding bikes), but I do agree that nukes in the hands of unstable regimes are a danger to the entire world.
A danger we will have to address sooner rather than later.
Great post cube and good link too, that girl's got guts to romp in those zones. Reminds me of the days as a youngster climbing rock piles with dad who was a geological engineer. His geiger counter sometimes would be clicking away like a banshee---I wonder if some new appendages someday will appear on my bod.
Nukes in the hands of Iran and North Korea ARE VERY UNSETTLING to say the least!
Cube: I'm not jumping on the Greenpeace bandwagon (they'd have us living without electricity and riding bikes), but I do agree that nukes in the hands of unstable regimes are a danger to the entire world.
Exactly. That's where I was coming from, too. Let me try to rephrase what I said earlier so it makes more sense:
I think it's especially important, though, to remember what nuclear technology in irresponsible hands can end up leading to... even when used for a productive intent.
darrell: I didn't think you were being a Greenie. I agree with your premise. Hiding from the horrors that can happen when nukes are handled irresponsibly doesn't do
anyone any good.
Gamma Girl brings up the way the USSR tried to hide the news from not only their own people, but the world. A despicable act.
Sunlight is a great disinfectant.
It's important to remember that nuclear power continues to improve and develop - the technology today is not the same as technology from 20 or 50 years ago.
It's also very important to distinguish between nuclear reactors for generating clean energy and a nuclear bomb - they do not go hand in hand & the technology is not the same.
Most of France is powered by nuclear power - problems to date? None. Many European countries have been using nuclear energy for decades.
Is using coal to generate electricity better & cleaner & more sustainable than using uranium? No, no and no. And there-in lies real the problem.
I thought someone should mention that Elena "Gamma Girl" did not and does not ride through the zone. It has been proven that she only took the standard tour and staged the pictures.
anonymous: Please tell us more & give us evidence of your comments.
anonymous: Does it really matter if she " only took the standard tour?" Just being there is gutsy and dangerous. Would you like to do it? I praise her for keeping this disaster in our minds!
here is video from Elena Filatova latast visit to Chernobyl area https://youtu.be/9GeXGiPcHtE
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