Paper
James M. Acton, Ankit Panda
{
"authors": [
"James M. Acton"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "NPP",
"programs": [
"Nuclear Policy"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"East Asia",
"Japan"
],
"topics": [
"Nuclear Policy",
"Nuclear Energy"
]
}
Source: Getty
In The Media
Pivotal Moment in Japan?
Much remains unknown as Japan attempts to cool the nuclear reactors and spent fuel rods at its damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, including whether restoring electricity to the cooling systems will help prevent the crisis from growing.
Published on Mar 17, 2011
Source: CBS
KATIE COURIC, CBS: James Acton with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a physicist and an expert on nuclear safety. James, Japanese officials acknowledged what U.S. officials said yesterday, those spent fuel rods, more than 11,000 of them in rapidly evaporating pools are the real danger. Why initially were there two different assessments of the situation?
JAMES ACTON, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: In many ways I think there probably still are two different assessments of the situation. There`s no question that the evaporating fuel pools is serious. Without all of that water as shielding, this site is going to become much more heavily irradiated and consequently harder to move around and work it. But I think there`s a genuine disagreement here over the chances that without the cooling effect of water these fuel rods could ignite. And there`s a disagreement over how risky that is compared to the consequences of a meltdown.
COURIC: Are helicopters and water hoses really the best solution to this crisis?
ACTON: Probably yes is the answer to that one. We’re far beyond the playbook on this. There`s no manual, there`s no emergency equipment, to deal with this kind of extreme situation. So right now the Japanese government are being forced to improvise.
COURIC: If the power comes on, will that solve the problem?
ACTON: I don`t know, but this is going to be a pivotal moment when the power comes on because if the cooling systems in the reactors and fuel ponds are basically sound and then the power comes on, then that -- We might look at that moment as the beginning of the end of this crisis. If, however, the cooling systems are damaged and the power comes on, they might not function correctly and this crisis could continue.
COURIC: James Acton of the Carnegie Endowment. Thank you.
ACTON: Thank you, Katie.
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.
More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- What We Know About the U.S.-Saudi Nuclear DealCommentary
Despite the agreement’s uncertainty, it’s still a significant development in regional and nuclear policy.
Andrew Leber, Jane Darby Menton
- Demystifying the Nuclear ThresholdPaper
The nuclear weapons threshold is increasingly important for proliferation strategy and policy. Policymakers should better understand the implications of the threshold phenomenon in the current international security environment and plausible strategies to deal with the growing challenge that it presents.
Ariel (Eli) Levite, Toby Dalton
- Nuclear Weapons and the Future of American PowerPaper
It seems likely that, no matter what, the power of the U.S. nuclear arsenal will face erosion, not least in the credibility of its commitments to defend allies and the political durability of those alliances.
James M. Acton, Ankit Panda
- President Lee Jae Myung: A Year in PowerCommentary
President Lee marked his first year in office after one of the most tumultuous periods in South Korean politics. Though Lee has enjoyed a high approval rating, a large majority in the National Assembly, and foreign policy victories, Lee and his party’s political fortunes depend on generating economic growth, learning the right lessons from the recent local elections, and managing contentious factional strife within his political base.
Chung Min Lee
- The Latest Iran Deal Ignores the Lessons of the PastCommentary
By burying disagreements in imprecision, the new deal risks same fate as its predecessors.
James M. Acton
