FUKUSHIMA

As continuously reported in global news, the elements of the 2011 Fukushima disaster remain chilling. This book tells the larger story: the saga of a technology promoted through the careful nurturing of a myth, the myth of safety. Nuclear power is an energy choice that gambles with disaster.

Fukushima Daiichi unmasked the weaknesses of nuclear power plant design and the long-standing flaws in operations and regulatory oversight. While taking into account details specific to the incident in Japan, the authors argue that the problems that led to the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi exist wherever reactors operate around the world. The authors examine the problematic role of the worldwide nuclear establishment: the close-knit culture that has championed nuclear energy-- politically, economically, socially-- while refusing to acknowledge and reduce the risks that accompany its operation. As witnessed in Fukushima, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl, nuclear energy is an unforgiving technology and the consequences of a mistake can be catastrophic. FUKUSHIMA: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster addresses the critical question: how can the global community work toward ensuring that another nuclear disaster never happens again? The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to independent scientific research and expert analysis. David Lochbaum and Edwin Lyman are internationally recognized experts on nuclear power. Director of the UCS's Nuclear Safety Project and a nuclear engineer by training, David Lochbaum monitors ongoing safety at US reactors and worked at nuclear power plants for 17 years, including many similar to the General Electric reactors at the Fukushima plant. Edwin Lyman holds a PhD in physics from Cornell University and was president of the Nuclear Control Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based organization focused on nuclear proliferation. An experienced reporter on environmental issues, Susan Stranahan won the Pulitzer Prize in 1980 for covering the Three Mile Island incident. This book combines the breadth of experience of its three expert contributors.