Topic: Industrial Accidents and Disasters

Photos of the Day Photos of the day 03/14

Hilltop city in Japan becomes a refuge for earthquake, tsunami survivors

Families escaping areas most affected by the Japan earthquake and tsunami are happy to have a dry place to stay in Hitachi city, which is situated along the coast between Tokyo and Sendai.
03/14/2011 03:42 pm

Opinion Japan's nuclear crisis: 6 reasons why we should – and shouldn't – worry

Japan’s nuclear disaster is not as bad as Chernobyl, but it’s the worst since. The recent 8.9-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that followed have severely damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. It has suffered two explosions, with warnings of a third possible, and fuel rods are exposed. Over 20,000 people have been evacuated from the area. This crisis raises important questions about the future of nuclear power and our failures not just to prepare for natural disasters but also possible failures in nuclear security. Harvard Kennedy School's Matthew Bunn gives us six key points to consider, originally published on the Power & Policy blog.
03/14/2011 02:45 pm

Global News Blog Why earthquake-prone Japan relies on nuclear power

Nuclear power is increasingly seen as a way for Japan, and other nations including the United States, to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
03/14/2011 01:40 pm

In Pictures Japan survivors

5 books on understanding/preparing for natural and manmade disasters

The mix of natural and man-made disasters unfolding in Japan is almost incomprehensible. But it’s just at such moments that we most want to understand what can happen in our world. This history is still in the making, but my regular reading list is taking a break while I search out material on disasters past and future. What are you reading in the wake of the tragic events of the past few days? Here are a few potential places to start:
03/14/2011 11:27 am

Global News Blog Second explosion at nuclear power plant in Japan

Monday's blast destroyed the containment building but the reactor is still intact. Japanese officials also said cooling systems have failed at a third reactor.
03/14/2011 10:31 am

Global News Blog Japan's nuclear crisis and Chernobyl: key differences

Japan's nuclear crisis is spawning concerns about 'another Chernobyl,' but a number of American and European scientists are cautiously taking the edge off the worst fears.
03/13/2011 09:26 pm

Japan's nuclear evacuees wonder if they'll ever see home again

More than 200,000 people have been ordered out of an area within a 12-mile radius of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where two reactors have gone into partial meltdown.
03/13/2011 01:01 pm

Japan now assumes 'possibility of a meltdown' at troubled reactors

Japanese workers raced against the clock to pump seawater into two damaged nuclear reactors. It’s a last-ditch effort to cool them enough to avert the kind of core meltdowns that happened at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island.
03/13/2011 11:29 am

Japan earthquake: Authorities race to avert nuclear crisis at second reactor

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said the No. 3 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant is now experiencing a partial meltdown after losing its cooling functions.
03/13/2011 10:12 am

Japan's radiation leak: Shades of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl?

Scientists at a press conference for anti-nuclear power groups say the Japanese nuclear reactor crisis could get worse before it gets better. But other scientists say it's not yet clear whether the accident will become another Three Mile Island – let alone a Chernobyl.
03/12/2011 06:12 pm

Japan nuclear plant, Libya show challenge of 'energy security'

The scramble to control the Fukushima nuclear reactor serves as a sharp reminder of the risks in one alternative source of energy, even as Libya fighting has raised concerns about world oil supplies. Obama and Boehner step into the policy fray.
03/12/2011 03:04 pm

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 03/12

Japan earthquake: Officials say nuclear catastrophe averted

Fears of a nuclear meltdown in Japan have subsided after a reactor that was damaged in Friday’s devastating earthquake reportedly emerged intact from an explosion.
03/12/2011 12:09 pm

Explosion destroys building at nuclear power plant in Japan

Japanese officials said the blast destroyed the building but that the reactor housing was still intact.
03/12/2011 09:00 am

Top 10 most nuclear-dependent nations

Japan’s earthquake and tsunami has pushed 11 of its 52 nuclear reactors offline. If they don’t power up soon, Japan will be hard-pressed to provide power to its people, since the reactors provide 30 percent of its electricity. As dependent as Japan is on nuclear power, 12 nations are even more reliant it, according to the World Nuclear Association. Using 2007 data, here are the Top 10 most nuclear-dependent nations:
03/11/2011 04:04 pm

Japan nuclear plant in state of emergency, as cooling power runs low

A nuclear plant in Japan is said to declare a state of emergency, as backup power used to cool three reactors runs low. Help is on the way. 'It's a dicey situation,' says nuclear specialist in US.
03/11/2011 03:43 pm

8.9 earthquake: Could Japan's nuclear reactors melt down?

8.9 earthquake: There have been no reports of radiation leaks from any of Japan's nuclear plants in the wake of the devastating earthquake. But two reactors are in danger of core melt, say experts.
03/11/2011 01:22 pm

In Pictures Space photos of the day: Tsunamis

In Pictures Japan's 9.0 earthquake

Photos of the Day Photos of the day 02/18

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 11/08

In Pictures Obama's Asia trip

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 10/08