Month: March 2014

The movie Pandora’s Promise, directed by Robert Stone in 2013, strove to provide details about nuclear energy, and promote the controversial form of energy, as a clean and efficient form. The film discusses how events like the Fukushima disaster, have completely cast a negative eye on the nuclear energy field, and the first thing one thinks about when thinking about nuclear energy, is danger.

Robert Stone discusses how nuclear energy can provide clean energy to billions world-wide safely, while efforts from wind, solar, and geothermal are not serving a fraction of the world’s population. The movie starts with a passionate display of hatred to nuclear energy, and wanting to shift to wind/solar energy, but these statements are done on the premise that nuclear energy is innheritly bad. It’s a controversial subject, and many feel that they’ll lose their credibility speaking in favor of nuclear energy, because the world thinks it’s a bad option.

Nuclear radiation scare people due to the perception we have been exposed to in our lives. The film actually shows people violently protesting the inclusion of nuclear energy in society–and how people tend to follow popular opinions that nuclear power is dangerous. Not until people talk to the actual scientists/physicists that are behind nuclear energy, do they alter their opinions. The common theme of nuclear energy are misguided statements, and fear of meltdowns. People do not take the time to get educated on the subject, and their personal opinions become forced facts, instead of seeking out the truth. The film explains that it’s impossible to just remove oil/natural gas from the equation and move completely to wind/solar/hydropower, it just isn’t possible to do in our society in the current timeframe. If China/Brazil/India and other highly populated countries will eventually become fully developed and need energy…which means we will double our global emissions by 2050–the only way to do is by nuclear energy on a massive scale. It can assist in sustaining the environment, and providing clean energy by removing the emissions we give out. Coal is the most-widely used energy in the world, and is the fastest growing globally, and these power plants kill 3 million around the world through greenhouse gas emissions. It’s mind boggling that nuclear energy is safer than solar panels, because they are toxic. Nuclear energy is 2nd safest behind wind energy. So why do people dislike this clean energy so much? There has not been one death from nuclear reactors in the United States ever. Bananas give you more radiation then water let off from nuclear power plants. The film shows people aggressively denying the truths behind nuclear energy. The film even explored Chernobyl, the site of one of the worst nuclear disasters in the world. A priest has been living there for over 25 years, and is fine. The levels of radiation there are even less than those in areas like Brazil. Fuel at the power plants can be continually recycled, and is occurring now. Whether the world will eventually come around to the benefits of nuclear energy will be determined in the coming years with rising global populations, and natural energy sources dwindling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://pandoraspromise.com/#

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/07/pandoras-promise-review

The Keystone XL Pipeline is project under proposal that would cover 1,179 miles(or 1,897km), with a 36 inch diameter, stretching from Hardesty, Alberta(Canada) to Steele City, Nebraska. Why is this so important in today’s day in age? It’s critical because it adds vital link between the United States and Canada, for the U.S. to extract crude oil and reduce it’s dependence on foreign oil. Adding to the benefit from bringing in oil from Canada, it will also improve the transportation of oil from Montana and North Dakota throughout the country. The project is being led by TransCanada. While the pipeline has yet to be built, it’s estimated that construction will begin in 2015. “The pipeline will have capacity to transport 830,000 barrels of oil per day to Gulf Coast and Midwest refineries, reducing American dependence on oil from Venezuela and the Middle East by up to 40 per cent.” This is crucial, because our dependence on oil from the Middle East has caused our country great strife with political unrest and violence spurring in the Middle East..without firm knowledge that the area in the Middle East will remain peaceful, oil prices have no way of staying stagnant. http://keystone-xl.com/about/the-project/#

The Keystone XL Pipeline project will generate nearly $1.8 billion in Nebraska during the construction phase alone. It will also have a great impact on state taxes–generating about $135 million in state/local taxes. It also will bring the creation of nearly 750 jobs in the construction field, and it’s important to note that this project is privately funded so our tax dollars are not flowing into it. The project will see the employment of over 9,000 Americans along the route, with over 42,000 jobs being created in total. http://keystone-xl.com/facts/myths-facts/

Looking at a greater global outlook, the United States wants to stay competitive with other global superpowers, and control of crude oil is premium among the powers. 70% of Russia’s export income comes from crude oil, which means they are merely a petro-economy and would be vulnerable on the global stage if oil was reduced. With the union of Canada and the United States, the two countries contain more oil and gas-reserves than Russia and the Middle East and can affect the global market in many ways. They can effectively take Russia’s clients(primarily Ukraine), and continue to do business with those countries, while Russia struggles.  The pipeline would lead to,” punishment toward anti-American Venezuela; proceeds toward Canada which buys more goods and services from the US than the European Union does; punishment toward Russia by casting into the markets more Venezuelan oil; replacement of Venezuelan oil with Canadian oil that is $30 a barrel cheaper (roughly 30 percent less) and even an improved environmental outcome”.

 

President Obama’s Climate Action Plan drafted in June of 2013, outlines three major categories, which are: Cut Carbon Pollution in America, Prepare the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change, and Lead International Efforts to Address Global Climate Change.

By including the importance of climate change and the need for the U.S to take the lead in spearheading the operation during his second inaugural address, President Obama set the tone for his second term, “The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition, we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries, we must claim its promise. That’s how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure — our forests and waterways, our croplands and snow-capped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.”- President Obama. I firmly believe that this statement serves a powerful reminder of the United States global position as a superpower, and the neccesitty to take a step back and lead the charge in addressing climate change, because underdeveloped nations are not privy to make changes before developed countries.

It’s noted that in 2009, President Obama established a precedent that by the year 2020, the United States would reduce emissions 17% below the 2005 emissions. Today the country is still on pace to do so, and even became the leading producer of natural gas while greatly reducing the importation of foreign oil. Continuing his improvements from his first terms, President Obama promised to again double the output of wind, solar, and geothermal energy, which are considered clean forms of energy–this would effectively reduce the amount of energy needed to be produced at power plants.

 

A critical piece to his plan is rewarding those who seek to improve society as a whole with clean energy. As a result, nearly $8 billion has been allocated to those seeking clean energy projects to explore these possibilities. Also, the administration has made itself hardstanced on the rising price of gasoline, and has set key goals for car makers to hit by the year 2025..”These standards require an average performance equivalent of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, which will save the average driver more than $8,000 in fuel costs over the lifetime of the vehicle and eliminate six billion metric tons of carbon pollution – more than the United States emits in an entire year”. This alone shows that the President is meaning business and taking a fine line when dealing with our output. Moreover, during President Obama’s first term he reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 15%–which is the same as saying he removed 1.5 million cars off the road.

The second portion of his climate plan went into great detail of past disasters that have occured home and abroad, and discussed the importance of addressing these issues publicly so that we can all learn from our mistakes, and to not let something like this ever happen.

Lastly, the third portion of his plan discusses the importance of helping other countries achieve energy efficiency. Improvements need to be made mainly in the areas of assisting countries achieve help by helping to bridge the gap with natural gas, improve dependence on coal, natural gas, and utilize nuclear energy.

 

Having been to the Museum of Science in Boston a few times before in my life, I was well-versed on the layout of the museum itself, which made locating the exhibits we had to observe a lot easier.

First up: I observed an exhibit featuring new, and groundbreaking inventions that have greatly benefited out society as a whole. The exhibit contained photographs, the invention itself, and actual testimonials from the inventor on why he or she felt that their invention was necessary for society to have. The one I appreciated the most was a refined Individual Body Armor, for soldiers on the frontline. This invention is critical for our nation locked in a decade long war, and has saved numerous lives along the way. (Please find below a picture of the Individual Body Armor, made of Kevlar).

 

Next: I checked out the exhibit “Energized”, which I felt was the most relevant to the course and to what we have been talking about in class. The exhibit went into great detail, and brokedown the energy efficiencies of various energy sources that we rely on daily. The image below outlines the process of taking in wind, and turning it into effective energy.

– This image provided a breakdown of Renewable/Nonrenewable energies.

– This part of the exhibit highlighted: Fossil Fuels, Hydropower, Nuclear, Solar, and Wind and explored the Pros/Cons of each.

Last: The last exhibit I viewed was called “Conserve @ Home”. I think that this exhibit can hit home with the majority of people viewing the exhibit, because it highlights everyday things one does in a house, and methods in which you can save energy. These methods include: Changing lightbulbs, flushing the toilet, and reducing the water output.

 

 

 

 

On March 11, 2o11, the country of Japan suffered a major nuclear meltdown. A magnitude 9.0 earthquake, named the “Great East Japan Earthquake”, wrecked havoc in the region and created a tsunami as a result. The tsunami hit about 560 kilometers, and resulted in a grotesque loss of life–more than 19,000 people lost their lives, and an enormous amount of destruction with over 1 million buildings being knocked out of commission.

 

There were four power plants in the region, and when the tsunami struck, the failsafes kicked into affect and the active reactors all shut down. However, several reactors that were not active at the time did experience significant problems. Three reactors all melted with the initial waves of the tsunami overloading the systems, and backup generators. It could have been a severe problem, but the Japanese government were able to contain the outbreak. They evacuated the immediate populace, and within two weeks they were able to stabilize the reactors with recycled water, limiting the potential dangers to the public from radiation. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-accident/

None of the roughly 200,000 residents living near the power plant in Fukushima that were evacauted experienced radiation sickness. “The psychological trauma of evacuation was a bigger health risk for most than any likely exposure from early return to homes, according to some local authorities”. It’s noted that over 700 people who were forced to evacuate lost their lives(many being sick, disabled, or elderly). As recent as 2012, Japan has implanted new safety protocols to assist in these disasters–the Nuclear Reactor Authority(also known as the NRA, not to be confused with the other NRA). They established specific zones 5km and 30km around nuclear facilities to be designated as disaster zones. They’ve also started to monitor the radiation levels of workers in/around the nuclear facilities. http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Safety-and-Security/Safety-of-Plants/Appendices/Fukushima–Radiation-Exposure/

Several industries around the plants were severely damaged, including farming and fishing(Some worry irradiated fish from Japan are showing up on the West Coast of the U.S). The radiation in Japan feels as if it’s being swept under the carpet because I for one, have not heard anything about the issue–but sources indicate the radiation is as worse as Chernobyl, and it’s effects are showing up in the U.S. If the fact that over 150,000 people haven’t been allowed to return home isn’t alarming, then here’s an alarming fact that may cause you to turn your head. Snow falling in Missouri was found to be twice the level of normal radiation–which could possibly be a result of the radiation given off in the nuclear accident in Japan.

A nuclear reactor in the heart of Cambridge, MA does sound pretty alarming. In fact, I did not even know the Reactor was active until my classmates and I arrived at the MIT Reactor. The facility was pretty locked down with top-notch security features. We had to wait to get let inside the building, and then a worker had to confirm our identity, sign us in, and assigned us an Embitter. This embitter monitored the amount of radiation being let off anywhere in the building. We were instructed to carry this embitter on us at all time, and stow our cellphones in a secure room.

Entering the reactor felt like I was in a classic James Bond movie. Moving into a pressurized entryway, we all had to cram into a small space to await the go-ahead for entrance into the reactor. Our tour guide preceded to provide a retinal scan to gain entrance into the secure facility. Granted we could not see the actual reactor itself due to radiation and security measures, it still felt pretty amazing to be allowed into the Reactor.

 

Our tour guide was extremely informative, and helped me understand the basics of the reactor. It was interesting to hear that a reactor like this would not be allowed to exist today, but since it’s been here for so long the federal government allows them to continue the research. Going into the control room was a highlight of the trip, because we got to see the Reactor’s central command and all the functional systems that control the reactor. I was blown away to see one person was behind the entire facility running, but after learning all the important fail-safe measures were centrally located by the control operator, I felt more relieved.

 

All in all, I had a really good time getting to the see the ins-and-outs of the MIT Reactor. I would recommend anyone getting more information on the reactor, or even taking the tour!