As depicted in a recent Hollywood blockbuster film, nuclear energy was first harnessed in 1945 as both an awe-inspiring and fear-inducing achievement of humankind.
Since then, nuclear energy has developed into an efficient but controversial source of power. More than 70 years later, the benefits of nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels are well-known, but so too are its risks. A handful of disasters, such the Fukushima incident in 2011, have shown that the risks can be catastrophic, and have a chilling effect on global acceptance of nuclear energy. Following the Fukushima disaster, Germany and Switzerland pledged to phase out their nuclear programs, and Italy passed a public referendum to cancel all of their plans for new nuclear reactors. The “chilling effect” was felt well beyond Europe. Between 2008 and 2010, construction began on 38 reactors globally, yet in the two years following Fukushima, only four reactors moved forward with construction.
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