Paper
James M. Acton, Ankit Panda
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Are Japan's Efforts in Vain?
Japan has evacuated its citizens from the area within nineteen miles of the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactors, but there are concerns that the country might not be able to feed or shelter more evacuees if the region in danger grows.
Published on Mar 17, 2011
Source: CBS
While the Japanese government has called for its citizens to evacuate the area within twelve miles of the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactors, the United States is evacuating U.S. citizens if they are within 50 miles of the plants. Carnegie’s James Acton explained to Erica Hill of CBS’ Early Show that there is a good reason for this discrepancy. Japan has already evacuated more than half a million people. If they were to extend the evacuation, they risk being unable to feed or shelter evacuees, who would then be in graver danger than if they remained at home. Acton added that houses actually provide better radiation protection than would ordinarily be assumed.
Turning to the damaged reactors themselves, Acton said that conflicting perspectives and widespread uncertainty surround the spent fuel pools. A Department of Energy report and a study from the National Academy of the Sciences offer contradictory opinions on whether exposed spent fuel rods could catch fire – a matter of great concern at Fukushima, as water is depleted in multiple spent fuel pools.
About the Author
James M. Acton
Jessica T. Mathews Chair, Co-director, Nuclear Policy Program
Acton holds the Jessica T. Mathews Chair and is co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
- Nuclear Weapons and the Future of American Power
- The Latest Iran Deal Ignores the Lessons of the PastCommentary
James M. Acton
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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