Amongst the many celebrating on the streets of the country back in 98 when the nuclear tests took place were some simple souls in Lahore who had been told, surprisingly, that electricity was going to be free from then on. The erudite proponents of nuclear energy, on the other hand, might think they are much better than the simpletons who had made that nonsensical connection between nuclear weapons and nuclear power. Better, yes. But better by just how much?
Lewis Stauss once famously said nuclear energy is going to make electricity too cheap to meter. We know now that the statement was – and more than half a century later, continues to be – false. Yes, much energy is released when you go about splitting atoms. But the safety requirements that have to be catered to make the whole thing safe translate into huge costs. Some countries have actually come to the conclusion that importing electricity is cheaper than running nuclear power plants.
Noted anti-globalisation writer Naomi Klein observes that the elite of the world have become addicted to risk; high-risks yield high dividends so they should be taken. This testosterone-intensive attitude is usually taught in business school but also, increasingly, in schools of public policy. The underlying assumption here being that as long as the probability of failure is reduced considerably, why not try risky endeavours? What they fail to take into account is that the mere prospect of failure, even if it is controlled considerably, can be absolutely horrifying. The laws of large numbers dictate, after all, that the smallest likelihood will necessarily become a reality given enough time. As we saw in the nuclear disasters of Windscale, UK; Three Mile Island, US and Chernobyl, Russia. The global community discusses again, these issues in the wake of the Japanese earthquake and its corresponding tsunami. The prospect of a meltdown at a nuclear power plant has the world watching nervously. The age of nuclear power should be over until the risk factor is ruled out in its entirety.
Like those simpletons of Lahore, perhaps at least one connection might be made between nuclear power and nuclear weapons. They both might not be worth the trouble.