Movement Against Nuclear Weapon and Power Plants

In the history of the world, there were many wars between the famous and biggest countries are World War One and two if world war three happens there will be no survival on earth because of nuclear power introduced during World War Two. Nuclear power can be used in both productive and disruptive ways. But humans used this energy in a disruptive way only after nuclear weapons power plant for Electricity created, although it is a great source of energy but a great threat to humans as there are some examples of it in following paragraphs, at the same time nuclear weapons are the biggest threat to the survival of life on earth.

According to a article named A short history of nuclear fission by Angela uranium was introduced by the German chemist in 1789 and after 52 years nuclear reactor was tested successfully in Chicago, there Main focus of atomic research was to make weapons for the World War Two and then something big happened in 1945 when the USA tested first atomic bomb on Hiroshima (Japan), which killed nearly 80,000 Japanese in just one blast and thousands of people died because of its radiation. Many other deadly events happened because of the misuse of nuclear power, Japan attack is one of the examples of the power of this invention. Anti-nuclear movements raised in all over the world when people came to know about the disruptive power of nuclear power plant and nuclear weapons.

Unfortunate of nuclear power

Nowadays, any country with nuclear weapons considered as the powerful country as only some nuclear atoms needed to win any war against non-nuclear countries. Something similar happened with Japan in 1945 when the USA dropped atoms on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. This effect remained several years after bombing on the health of people who survived but exposed by radiation. These people were not accepted by the society with the thought contagiousness and they defined their different category named hibakusha, after testing on this group in 1998 data shows that the rate of cancer was 43% higher, health severity was depending on the radiation dose also over 2000 people died because of leukaemia from the exposed group.

The effects of exposer were long lasting on the health of people also dangerousness of the radiation detected very first time in the history of the world, this horrifying event was alert for the future disruption by man-made disaster as that was very first time when they were testing the area affected by nuclear atom and this power amazed everyone from the whole world. According to me, bombs on Japan was against humanity, this earth is a beautiful place to live but human activities disturbing the lifestyle of all creatures. In late 1970s USA tested again B83 named nuclear atom which was 80 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb then in 1954 “operation castle bravo” tested and Hiroshima bomb was 1000 times less powerful than this one, the most powerful weapon ever tested was “tsar bomba” in 1961 which was 2300 times more powerful than “operation castle bravo” and this can destroy 4080 miles of area with just one blast.

This video shows that within two decades humans created many nuclear weapons every time more dangerous than previous one, if bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki can kill more than 80,000 people and radiation created long term effect on both earth and health of people then “tsar bomba” is 3300 times more hazardous than bomb distorted on Hiroshima so taking thing into consideration if World War III or next nuclear exposures happen that can erase many countries from the map of the world.

Although nuclear power is created by humans, but the handling of this disaster is a hard scrabbling three-mile island and Chernobyl accidents are an example of that. Something terrifying happened in the history of the USA in 1979.” After a cooling outrage in The Three-mile Island reactor near Harrisburg, a meltdown set in, and the world was feverish if radioactivity leaked out” (Bosch). Fortunately, there was not any direct damage to people, but people were unable to save themselves from radioactive and around 140,000 people move from that area near the accident. Many people had to suffer because of this incident, they had left their houses and move somewhere else. Moreover, the consequences of that nuclear accident could be worse as they handle it on time otherwise anything could have happened.

This was not the end of unwanted disasters of nuclear power. After 7 years of Three Mile Island accident, there was something unique happened which fill the heart of people with fear. In 1986, one nuclear reactor in power plant got some issues during the time of testing and it exploded, many people were killed at the same time with firestorm and others were affected by the radiation in a great area near the disaster. This accident was bigger than the Three Mile Island as a great number of residences were killed. Nuclear plant presence is just for the convenience of the people, for example, producing electricity but if it becomes the risk to life then there should not be any nuclear plants.

Nuclear exposures are not one-time event its radiations last for a long time in the environment. “As far as the health effects are concerned, namely the possible increase of cancer incidence, since the accident there has been a real and significant increase of carcinomas of the thyroid among the population of infants and children exposed at the time of the accident in the contaminated regions of the former Soviet Union”. This example shows that people were suffering from health issues even after many years of that accident, so this technology is very harmful to the environment and people, maybe this same disease pass to the next generation.

Effects of nuclear on the environment

In the 20th century many countries tested their nuclear weapons which results in disturbance in Marin life and environment. Most of the tests were conducted in the northern part and only 10% in the southern part so northern hemisphere is more contaminated because of harmful gases in the environment from nuclear weapons, also nuclear accidents played vital roles in it. For example, attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Chernobyl accident and Fukushima Daichi (Pravalie, 730). These figures show us that effects of nuclear pollution are not related to just one specific area or country even they are wider can affect the whole world though environment.

Most of the earth is covered by water so if air gets polluted then definitely changes can be seen in Marine life too as everything in nature is interconnected “One of the most representative examples is the isotope 14C released into the atmosphere during nuclear tests, which is later integrated into the CO2, and then reaches the marine environment, by means of the ocean – atmosphere gas exchange, or the biosphere through the process of photosynthesis”.

If these activities not stopped by humans, then it can lead to a dystopian future for the world. People getting many kinds of diseases because of pollution in the air and water due to human activities. Finally, there were nuclear plant in the city Fukushima in Japan and in 2011 due to strong tsunami and earthquake, water hit the nuclear station and due to technical issues, there was meltdown which leads to a great amount of radiation in the environment, in the result over 160,000 people affected by radiation.

Anti-nuclear movement in the world

Countries with nuclear power known as nuclear armed forces as many of them tested their nuclear weapons by themselves and another buy it. The 20th century was the period of nuclear energy as nuclear introduced to the world and more powerful weapons also tested in this era. After the bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki people become aware of this disaster and people from all over the world start protesting using nuclear weapons because it not about the one nation it is about the world.

A famous scientist named Robert Oppenheim, who was expert in making atomic bombs said that “I am become death, the shattered of world” from his words it is clear that Roberts became aware of the disruptive power of the nuclear, he was the very first antinuclear protester for both nuclear weapons and power in 1945. A person who was part of the team who created the nuclear power was against them after the successful test because he came to know that how harmful it will be for the living creatures on the earth as it was so dangerous in the starting for example bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their long-lasting effects.

A new committee introduced in 1957 named Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE), the purpose of this group was to stop the nuclear testing, in this group citizens of America, publishers and some famous personalities were included for example Benjamin Spock who was child doctor. Also, after four years of this group another anti-nuclear activist group created named women Strike for Peace (WSP) from the name of the group, women were the main participant in this committee as their children were more prone to radiation. All the different groups in the USA were demanding the same thing to stop the use of nuclear weapons in different ways, which shows the fear in people with the new disaster called nuclear.

Finally protests by people become successful and the new law was created for the nuclear weapons for example “In New York City, for example, WSP supporters marched outside the United Nations building. Anti-nuclear activists continued to pressure politicians, resulting in the 1962 ratification of the American-Soviet treaty banning nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere, space, and underwater”. Unity of people about anti-nuclear movement forced the government to ban all nuclear atomic tests, this shows the power of citizens although this was not easy for the anti-nuclear activists to protest as government itself was in the favour of nuclear tests, but they did it for the brighter future for the country and humans.

Japan is a country which suffered a lot from nuclear weapons (1954) Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing and Fukushima accident due to a natural disaster (2011) as mentioned above. In 1960s Japan decided for the nuclear power plant establishment for the electricity, people were against it and they start protesting in which students, working class and urban enlightened were involved, after the Chernobyl accident women become part of this group in 1990s.

Anti-nuclear movement till 1960s was not successful because of political and economic pressure on people. Maybe people were not aware of their rights that is why fewer people participated in the protestor maybe people were facing some other problems and their focus was not on the nuclear power plant. After the accident in Fukushima people were in pain and first time in Japan a great number of people were involved, people were protesting in all different cities and over 30,000 participants noticed in Tokyo city, this is power, and unity of people force the government to shut down the nuclear power plant in 2012. This is a great example of the power of citizens in a nation this time people were not quite because they were aware that what could happen in the future if this technology is not stopped to produce energy.

From other countries people were learning the lessons that same could happen in their country too so after the Fukushima accident people from Taiwan start protesting “Over the weekend, as many as 50,000 protesters gathered on Ketagalan Blvd in front of the Presidential Office — the site of many protests in recent months — and threatened various actions until the government met their demands to halt work on the Fourth power plant. President Ma Ying-jeou and various officials and mayors from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a meeting on the afternoon of April 27 and announced that work on reactors 1 and 2 of the power plant would be “halted”. The number of people participated in protest is just amazing this shows that power plant accidents affecting the whole world as people getting more knowledge about the nuclear disasters in the world they started protesting in their countries. Taiwan protests are an example of awareness in people. A great number of countries change their decisions about nuclear power plant as citizens were against it.

Conclusion

Many countries face a lot of difficulties from these nuclear disasters. Accidents over the past 5 centuries are an example for other countries to not establish a nuclear power plant, even a minor issue to plant can lead to bigger problems. According to me each activity which created problem to our nature should be stopped because we can not have healthy life without a healthy or fresh environment, waste created by nuclear weapons stays for a long time in an environment which affects the humans and the natural cycle of marine life. If radiation can affect humans, then definitely the effects on aquatic animals will be worse. All the people on the earth should protest if something same happened in the future like nuclear weapon testing or installing new nuclear power plant.