Nuclear Boy Cartoon

I am beginning to dread my daily ritual of reading some of the international headlines on the news sites I read. Between the crisis in Japan, the invasion of Libya, and the other political issues in Yemen and Syria, it's a time of great conflict around the world these last few months.

There is some encouraging news about the nuclear crisis in Japan. An article today on the Huffington Post provided insight as to the possibility of mandatory safety standards being implemented for nuclear energy. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that there are some improvements in the serious situation in Japan, in particular the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear sites. Reports have surfaced as to the weaknesses of the current emergency responses to nuclear disasters, especially in light of the events in Japan and the safety records of Japanese nuclear plants are being closely examined. This has prompted discussion as to whether making safety standards mandatory is a good idea. Currently, the safety standards outlined by the IAEA are voluntary and there has been discussion as to whether it should be made mandatory. The IAEA is limited in its role as an advisor and each country is ultimately responsible for the safety measures taken.

My reflexive opinion is that yes, safety standards for nuclear energy should be made mandatory due to the potential dangers when equipment malfunctions or when a natural disaster compromises a nuclear facility. Nuclear energy can be potentially dangerous and efforts to promote safety measures should be encouraged. As I continued to read the article my opinions changed. Yukiya Amano (the head of the IAEA), suggests that not all board-members were on board with the proposal for mandatory safety measures. A great point was made that in order to create a consensus of all members, changes will be slow and almost certainly less than optimally effective. This seems to be a common theme in many development issues. Thinking back to my experiences in Model United Nations conferences in high school, any draft resolutions about issues like health or human rights (you name it), had to be scaled back from what would be ideal in order to create consensus among different country representatives. It is difficult to create consensus or even the support of the majority in international affairs.

On a slightly lighter note, I found this cartoon developed and broadcast on Japanese television to explain to children the series of events that have taken place over the last 10 days at the Fukushima nuclear plants. It is interesting and somewhat insightful however I have to wonder how much of the information presented in the cartoon children will actually be able to understand. I have included the video below, it is also available on Youtube.