Aftermath of the catastrophe

It has not yet been possible to control the reactors in the Fukushima nuclear power plant, gravely damaged in the earthquake and tsunami on March 11. They are still emitting radioactive material outside the containment shells, with considerable intensity in the immediate vicinity of the plant and, further away, with lesser levels of intensity.

However, these emissions are still a matter of deep concern, owing to their effects on food and drinking water, as well as the contamination of nearby seawater, due to all the water used in recent days to cool the reactor cores and spent-fuel storage ponds. The bodies of a number of workers who disappeared during the first days of the catastrophe were discovered on Saturday, further underlining the seriousness of the accident.

But the consequences of the Fukushima catastrophe are by no means going to be limited to Japan. Its effects are already being felt throughout the world, particularly in countries with a nuclear industry. It does not seem that the effects of this disaster are going to spell the end of a technology which makes such a large contribution to our supply of energy that does not rely on fossil fuels. Were we to dispense with nuclear energy, the renewable energies, even with heavy public support, would not suffice to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and at the same time substitute nuclear energy in a medium-term time frame.

However, it is certain that a period of reflection will now begin on the question of safety conditions, and on the location of power plants of this type, together with the desirability of disconnecting reactors that do not comply with demanding safety conditions, and their substitution with others designed to higher safety standards.

There will be a definite before and after in connection with Fukushima. One sign of the change in attitude is the recent call made by French President Nicolas Sarkozy for a world conference of nuclear plant executives, to review safety norms with the intention of making them more rigorous and thus more costly, as well as universal in their application. This proposal, and Sarkozy's visit to Japan, are not only gestures of solidarity with the Japanese people. They are also a manifestation of France's own interest in an industry in which it is a major leader. The country has an important nuclear industry, and derives much of its energy supply from its numerous nuclear power plants.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), ought to play an active role in the process of setting technical standards that may (and ought, on pain of sanctions) be adopted by all the countries that opt to use this source of energy.