The Japan Earthquake and the Ethics of Nuclear Energy
The Japan Earthquake and the Ethics of Nuclear Energy
For the past decade, the world has experienced a nuclear energy renaissance fueled by society's desire for alternative sources of clean power. However, due to the recent nuclear calamities following the Japan earthquake and tsunami, this resurgence may be over. The disaster has reopened a debate that has spanned generations regarding whether the use of nuclear technology for our energy needs is sensible. Some supporters and opponents even view the issue as a moral one. Proponents argue that refusing to employ nuclear technology in an energy-starved world is unethical. Others believe that the use of nuclear energy, with its potential for catastrophic accidents and radioactive by-products is wrong. This discussion raises key questions: is the use of nuclear energy a moral issue, and, if so, how do we tell if its use is ethical or unethical?
Philosophers generally identify moral issues with decisions or actions that involve possible benefit or harm to oneself and others. The outcomes of such decisions are right/good or wrong/bad. The issue of nuclear energy use meets this requirement. Those on both sides of the nuclear technology issue would likely agree that use of this form of energy does involve potential benefit or harm. However, they disagree about which outcome is accurate.
If deciding to use or eschew nuclear energy is a moral decision, how does one determine whether either decision is right or wrong? This depends on what a person believes is the basis for morality, which is referred to as a moral theory. There is no universal moral theory, and therefore, many different ways to judge the morality of a particular action. However, most of those engaged in the debate regarding the ethics of nuclear energy speak of the consequences of its use. This implies a consequentialist viewpoint.
Consequentialism refers to moral theories that are based upon the view that the morality of actions is based on their outcomes or consequences. For example, one of the most well-known consequentialist moral theories, utilitarianism, is that view that an action is morally obligatory if it maximizes well-being. If one applies a consequentialist perspective to the issue of nuclear energy use, the key question is: does society's use of nuclear power as an energy source maximize well-being, or is there another source, or combination of sources, of energy that accomplish this? The answer is subject to great debate.
Proponents of nuclear energy state that the nuclear accidents in Japan should not dissuade us from using this significant source of energy. They emphasize that nuclear technology has progressed significantly since the days of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl and is generally very safe. They also highlight that the boiling water reactors in operation at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan are dated models installed in the 1970s that were the subject of safety concerns decades ago.
While there have been casualties due to nuclear accidents, compared to pollution-related deaths and deaths related to procuring other sources of energy, they are certainly fewer. Nuclear accidents are somewhat akin to airplane crashes. They both garner significant media attention while smaller, everyday disasters such as oil rig and traffic deaths go virtually unnoticed.
The problem with nuclear energy is that its characterization as a clean source of power is misstated. Even ignoring the accident risks due to mishaps such as the Japan earthquake or potential terrorist attacks on nuclear facilities, reactors have significant environmental impact. While nuclear energy results in relatively low greenhouse gas emissions, even including indirect sources, it does produce nuclear waste. The OECD estimates that a typical 1,000 megawatt nuclear power stations produces about 300 cubic meters of low and intermediate-level waste and 30 tonnes of high level, solid, packed waste per year. This waste remains radioactive for approximately 200,000 years. The best current solution for its disposal is to bury it deep underground. It is difficult to see how an energy source that produces so much highly toxic waste maximizes well-being particularly when compared to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. Though, in terms of practicality, such renewable resources cannot meet the entire world's growing energy demands. Without more technological innovation in the energy sector, we must rely on some power sources that cause environmental harm, or vastly reduce global reliance on energy, which is not realistic.
What emerges from a consequentialist analysis of the nuclear energy issue is the idea that scientific assessment of the consequences of society's actions determines what ethical conduct is. This is a fairly recent and controversial claim that Sam Harris champions in his 2010 book "The Moral Landscape". He argues that the scientific method can be used as a yardstick for measuring value and morality.
I would expand this view to make an even more controversial claim: science, and particularly technological advances, can change morality. For example, one can argue that using nuclear power as an energy source is unethical due to the radioactive waste it produces. However, if technology changes and we are able to dispose of this waste without any potential adverse consequences to the environment, the morality of the technology can change. Perhaps there is a moral truth about energy sources that society has not yet discovered. Perhaps there is a completely clean energy source that we have not yet discovered. However, from a practical standpoint, if we are unaware of this potential source, it is irrelevant to our current moral decisions. Our current decisions must be based on the facts before us. These facts come from our observations in applying the scientific method. In an applied ethics environment, science has something to say about morality.
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