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| Pandora's Promise (2013) |
What is nuclear power? Is it a reliable source of energy?
And more importantly, is it sustainable and safe? These are all questions that
the documentary Pandora’s Promise (2013) attempts to answer. In a world where
society fears but respects nuclear powers potential, the documentary tries to
shed some light on the topic of the possible widespread use of nuclear energy.
A controversial source of energy, Pandora’s Promise opens
depicting various anti-nuclear rallies, demonstrations and speeches, with
participants comparing nuclear power to death and suffering. The documentary
juxtaposes this with voiceovers of individuals that were previously
anti-nuclear, glossing over what led to their eventual transition to a
pro-nuclear stance. The documentary then briefly illustrates the history of
plutonium and uranium as energy sources and makes a point that many individuals
fear anything remotely nuclear because of nuclear accidents such as the events
surrounding Chernobyl, and the parallels people draw with the use of atomic
weaponry on Japan during WW2. Despite the stigma and the possibility of disaster,
one nuclear engineer speaks highly of nuclear energy and its potential. “The
equivalency is huge…” Nuclear engineer Len Koch states. “One pound of uranium,
which is the size of my fingertip…” “If you could release all of the energy
that has an equivalent to about 5,000 barrels of oil… That to me is amazing”
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| Pandora's Promise (2013) |
The documentary later affirms that nuclear power is a
reasonable, efficient, and clean alternative to fossil fuel energy. One
pro-nuclear individual explains: “If you add up all fossil fuel combustion in
the United States, just from power plants, fine particulates alone kill 13,000
people per year. Worldwide, 3 million people die a year from fossil fuel plants.”
(Gwyneth Cravens). The documentary
eventually explains that though wind and solar energy happen to be clean, they
are not always reliable or effective. Whereas there may be days that the sun
doesn’t shine and there is a lack of wind, hampering the abilities of solar and
wind energy, nuclear power plants will continue to produce regardless of the
weather. Another pro-nuclear speaker states: “You can’t keep using less
energy.” (Mark Lynas) In reference to society learning how to
conserve energy. Though this is a task that is almost impossible given the
extreme population growth our planet is experiencing, I believe there is no
harm in learning how to find more efficient ways of acquiring electricity and the
blatant wasting of it should be cut down.
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| Vattenfall (2013) |
As an individual that is enthusiastic about nuclear power, a
part of me was proud to see pro-nuclear individuals dispelling ideas and rumors
about a possible Armageddon following the widespread implementation of nuclear
power. However, as the documentary progressed I repeatedly noticed a clear lack
of speakers on the anti-nuclear side. As a believer of journalistic integrity,
I found that I sometimes doubted if this documentary was really attempting to
inform people instead of acting as a rallying cry for pro-nuclear activists. Though
I do understand the benefits of nuclear power and hope to see nuclear plants as
a suitable replacement for fossil fuels plants, I was left rather confused as
some points in the documentary when speakers almost presented nuclear power as
an infallible, utopian pipe dream. I am proudly pro-nuclear, but I was occasionally
uncomfortable with the methods of presenting this overwhelming positive and
slightly biased review of nuclear energy.
Despite this slightly biased stance on nuclear energy, I
believe that Pandora’s Promise allowed me to learn a little more about nuclear power.
Nuclear power has potential to be an effective and clean source of energy, and
is a much better alternative to burning fossil fuels for power. In a world
where millions die every year because of fossil fuel extraction, refining,
smoke inhalation etc., it’s nice to know that not one nuclear related death has
occurred in the United States. As humans continue to slowly disrupt Earth’s
natural ecosystems, whether it’s digging up natural habitats for fossil fuels,
polluting our environment with oil/coal, or emitting a dangerous amount of
greenhouse gasses, suddenly nuclear energy appears to be a clean, reliable and
safe method of powering our cities. The fact that France’s electricity is about
80% nuclear powered and happens to have the least expensive electricity in
Europe proves that governments and societies around the world have the ability
to make such a switch. Yet despite the potential, there is still stigma,
especially in the United States, regarding the use of nuclear power.
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