I have recently been posting about the undetermined release of radioactive materials from the Waste Isolation Pilot Project near Carlsbad, New Mexico. In February, there was an event that released plutonium and americium into the atmosphere. Despite months of investigation, the ultimate cause of the radiation release still has not been determined. The WIPP is the only repository for low level waste, tools, clothing, etc. generated by the production of nuclear weapons for the U.S.
The Abe government in Japan is dedicated to nuclear power for the generation of electricity. Aside from safety issues raised by the Fukushima accident, one of the big problems that Japan has always had is its lack of fuel for energy. There are no significant deposits of coal or oil in the Japanese archipelago. One of the reasons that Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor was the fact the U.S. had placed an embargo on oil shipments to Japan.
The Abe government in Japan is dedicated to nuclear power for the generation of electricity. Aside from safety issues raised by the Fukushima accident, one of the big problems that Japan has always had is its lack of fuel for energy. There are no significant deposits of coal or oil in the Japanese archipelago. One of the reasons that Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor was the fact the U.S. had placed an embargo on oil shipments to Japan.
In 1859, a huge solar storm injected so much energy into the atmosphere of the Earth that it caused major damage to the early power grid and the telegraph system in the United States. Some telegraph operators were shocked by arching electricity in their equipment. Fires broke out and generating systems crashed. This was referred to as the Carrington Event. Since that time, we have built an amazing but vulnerable civilization based on electrical power.
