The Planet’s Suicide

One of the greatest challenges the world is currently facing is finding alternative sources of energy in order to replace non-renewable sources, which have already dramatically damaged the environment. Reactivating or increasing use of the nuclear plants may potentially give a solution to this problem. On the other hand, nuclear energy could have several effects, extremely harmful to human society and environment. Do we have the sufficient scientific investigation to prevent these dangerous consequences?

Even though nuclear power is considered a compact and efficient source of energy, and it is totally reliable and environmental friendly, if used correctly, the International Atomic Energy Agency, “the world’s center of cooperation in the nuclear field”, prevent the application of any project that involves use of nuclear plants, in order to prevent any accidental or intentional misuse of it and to protect the environment from the danger it might cause. History has shown that even when scientists were quite sure of the success, such projects resulted in catastrophic events.

The process in which nuclear energy is produced, involves nuclear reactions, in the level of atom. Thus, a possible accident is very unlikely to happen, but if it does, an enormous amount of energy goes to the environment around the plant, and this destroys any being in that area, and entire generations are exposed to the danger of radiation. The project not only wouldn’t serve as a solution to any environmental issue, but it would be a huge human mistake. We have done similar mistakes in the past and repeating them is completely senseless.

The widest scale nuclear disaster took place in Ukraine in 1986 when the unsanctioned power intensification of one reactor occurred followed by its destruction. Due to the nature of the nuclear power plan construction at Chernobyl, it is estimated that all radioactive noble gases contained in the reactor were released at the time of the initial event. A huge number of victims. The environment was destroyed forever. We cannot let it to happen again.

Many scientists see the reactivation of the nuclear reactors as the only safe choice for now, as the non-renewable natural resources are finishing. First, is it really safe? That’s what was always thought, but huge accidents did happen. Second, it is not true that it is the only choice. With some investments, wind power, solar energy or even geothermal energy could solve our problem.

Furthermore, the material used during nuclear reactions cannot be recycled. Therefore, it needs to be found an isolated area where all the nuclear waste is placed. In a way, this location will be sacrificed, because the material remains radioactive and it can destroy the environment and provoke serious illness to humans, even cancers. This is inevitable if we decide to use nuclear energy. In this context, we are trying to save the environment and reduce the global warming, by causing long-lasting pollution.

The most negative aspect of reactivating nuclear plants, is that they can be used as the most dangerous and destroyable weapon ever. Again, what happened in World War II is a good example that shows that if every country will have the potential to produce nuclear energy, then, it will certainly use it as a weapon of mass destruction in some special cases, whenever its interests will be violated. Apparently, all this will lead to the destruction of the planet. After giving to one country the technology, the supply and professionals, then no one can predict how that energy is going to be used. There’ll always be conflicts between countries. Imagine what will happen if these weapons would be in the terrorist organizations’ hands. The entire world would turn to dust in few days. Unfortunately, there’s still no proof that the International Atomic Energy Agency can prevent this to happen.

Use of nuclear power will certainly worsen the global economic situation. Even though the supply of uranium is not too expensive, the cost of one plant is extremely high. Because it is essential to prevent any possible incident, the latest technology should be applied, and consequently the cost would go higher and higher. In addition, the process of waste management would cost a lot, too, as we’re dealing with radioactive material. The overall cost, this way, will be few times higher than the fancy wind power plants, and it is incomparable with the cost solar panels.

  The level of the development of science and technology is so advanced that we can harm ourselves. One mistake can cause a disaster. If use of nuclear energy is risky, harmful, and expensive, why should we choose it to replace what we’re using now? Nuclear resources can offer a huge uncontrollable amount of energy. Human kind still doesn’t have the sufficient the power to handle it. The future is unclear, but currently we should forget this dangerous way of providing power and focus on other alternative ways.

Thinking of Changing the World

What (if any) specific changes in the existing structures that govern international economic and commercial relations (the World Trade Organization, the G8, etc) should be made to make them more representative of the actual global economic and political situation or more fair or effective in promoting prosperity or addressing current problems?

Human kind is destined to function according to a set of rules, without which everything would be in chaos, misery and despair. Fortunately, from antiquity to today, there has always existed a set of rules to obey, differing from era to era. What is causing many problems to our society nowadays is the fact that we are not conscious that we have entered in a new era, and thus we are obeying the rules of the past in different circumstances.

Even though the structures which have governed the world until now have been somehow successful in generating ideas on how to give the right direction to the global economic and political relations, the United Nations need to create a new global organization, structured intentionally to study scientifically the global situation and to offer solutions to the current problems in world’s economy and political affairs. Organizations such as G8 and World Trade Organization are adapting the same old rules and laws, which used to be effective one hundred years ago, to a completely changed society. How long is the old system going to handle the situation and prevent a global management disaster?

We are living in an economic and political chaos and the situation is getting worse every year. The ultimate global crisis is the most dramatic proof of the fact that we need new economic laws and new political patterns to follow. In this context, we should promote scientific investigation in these fields in the level of an international organization, which will give us the best options to choose: these new laws and patterns. Even though it seems that in this way the world will be artificially controlled by the minds of few people, who will give directions, it is time to accept that the current democratic system that most of the countries have implemented, needs to change. This change will lead to prosperity and basically to the true democracy.

In order to understand why this new structure is crucial, we need to point out how has the global situation changed in the last century, while the basic economic and political principles are totally the same. The unpredictable improvement of technology has lead to a phenomenon, named globalism, against which no one can argue. Consequently, a global society is influencing every single national society that much that any barrier between two countries cannot prevent their economic interaction. Nonetheless, the political unions will naturally be integrated in a single-state united world, even though we are not enough prepared. What we need now is to consider this new face of the world, and find the right direction according to which the decisions in economy and politics should be made. Finally, let the United Nations, G8, etc. be based on these new ideas.

If the international organizations will keep obeying to the basic principles that used to lead the world’s economy in the past, they will never find the right solution for current problems, and the crisis that the planet is facing will become worse. On the other hand, the political relationship between countries depends on their economic issues; therefore additional political problems will appear. Creating a new organization, which will focus only on research, especially on new ways of thinking, independent from past experience, giving more importance to pure science, and encouraging professionals on working on this field, will potentially help world’s authorities to make the right decisions.

Let’s imagine hundreds of scientists: economists and politicians, working together on the same purpose: finding the most convenient economic and political system. It might take years until they figure out the right directions that the planet should follow. However, professionals can solve this better than authorities, who are all the time under the pressure of the responsibilities they are taking. Presidents or prime-ministers can adapt a general model in their special case. What the world does not have is this general model. The old one apparently does not fit anymore.

Human kind never understands how important the change is, before having grave consequences because of not applying it. It’s not too late. However, it’s time to start thinking of changing the world. It’s time to make up our minds that the old set of principles gave us its best and we cannot depend anymore on our past. It’s time to plan the future.