Book Chapter - Springer Nature
Nuclear Waste
Nuclear waste epitomizes the Anthropocene. Scientific discovery of nuclear fission in the 1930s ushered in the atomic age. The onset of nuclear weapons and nuclear energy production in the 1940s and 1950s then created a uniquely human problem with planetary implications. Today, 33 countries operate 442 nuclear power reactors, and nine countries possess nearly 13,000 nuclear arms. The result is high-level waste that is dangerously radioactive for millennia to come. Yet, there has never been a permanent waste solution in place. Technically feasible long-term nuclear waste storage options exist, but nearly all governments prefer riskier interim plans hidden from public view and debate. This chapter considers the likelihood of societies addressing the contentious environmental and economic politics of deep geological repositories; and it asks, how long will obfuscation of the risks of this unique Anthropocene challenge continue?
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The full text of this publication is available via the original publication source.
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For Academic Citation:
Eriksen, Christine, and Stephen Herzog. "Nuclear Waste." Handbook of the Anthropocene: Humans between Heritage and Future. (August 2023): 1521–1525.
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Nuclear waste epitomizes the Anthropocene. Scientific discovery of nuclear fission in the 1930s ushered in the atomic age. The onset of nuclear weapons and nuclear energy production in the 1940s and 1950s then created a uniquely human problem with planetary implications. Today, 33 countries operate 442 nuclear power reactors, and nine countries possess nearly 13,000 nuclear arms. The result is high-level waste that is dangerously radioactive for millennia to come. Yet, there has never been a permanent waste solution in place. Technically feasible long-term nuclear waste storage options exist, but nearly all governments prefer riskier interim plans hidden from public view and debate. This chapter considers the likelihood of societies addressing the contentious environmental and economic politics of deep geological repositories; and it asks, how long will obfuscation of the risks of this unique Anthropocene challenge continue?
Want to Read More?
The full text of this publication is available via the original publication source.Eriksen, Christine, and Stephen Herzog. "Nuclear Waste." Handbook of the Anthropocene: Humans between Heritage and Future. (August 2023): 1521–1525.
- Recommended
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- Most Viewed
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Analysis & Opinions - Environment and Natural Resources Program, Belfer Center
Event Debrief: Permitting Progress in Support of U.S. Clean Energy and Climate Goals
Analysis & Opinions - Barron's
Climate Policies Are Becoming a Casualty of High Oil Prices
Audio - Harvard Environmental Economics Program
The Challenges Facing the Nation's Electricity Power Sector: A Conversation with Severin Borenstein
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Most Viewed
Audio - Harvard Environmental Economics Program
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Policy Brief - Quarterly Journal: International Security
Oil, Conflict, and U.S. National Interests
News - Harvard Project on Climate Agreements
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