In April 1981, the United States government carried out a mock nuclear attack near Jackass Flats, Nevada. The so called 'accident' had taken two years to prepare and cost two million dollars. The clean-up operation was closely monitored by both nuclear and environmental scientists. Shortly before this, the papers were full of President Reagan's decision to resume development of the neutron bomb which explodes with relatively little blast but which produces penetrating radiation. It is quite right that the problems and risks of nuclear technology should figure prominently in all these developments. These include the risks from routine operation, the problems of pollution by radioactive waste, and, of course, the military hazards.
Scientists working in the nuclear industry claim that the risk of radioactive waste escaping from one of their plants in a routine operation is very small indeed. Radioactivity has the advantage of being easy to monitor, and the industry is able to contrast its extremely high safety standards with those in other potentially dangerous fields such as mining and aeronautics. However, as installations multiply, and as potentially more dangerous fast-breeder reactors come into use, the risks will multiply, and so, of course, will the danger of pollution by radioactive waste.
In 1976, A Royal Commission Report on Nuclear Power and the Environment concluded that it would be wrong to embark on a program of nuclear expansion without further research into the means of disposing of long-term radioactive wastes. Some of these wastes will remain active for hundreds and even thousands of years. Several means of disposing of the radioactive wastes are being explored at the present. Some waste of low to medium level radioactivity is encapsulated in concrete and dumped at sea in deep water.
The risks from radioactive waste, although very real, appear much less serious to most people than the military risks of nuclear technology. The only strong case that can be put forward for nuclear weapons is the effect that these have as a deterrent to other nations. However, the military risks from nuclear technology are far wider than those from nuclear warfare alone. there are, for instance, risks from terrorist activities particularly in relation to nuclear power plants. These are difficult to protect, and occupation of a nuclear power plant could be used as a bargaining counter by terrorists. There are also possible dangers resulting from the transportation of uranium and plutonium from processing plants to reactors. It has been suggested that vehicles could be hijacked.
The problems of nuclear technology have led many people to the opinion that we should not be exposed to them at any cost. Any discussions on nuclear power are, of course, inexplicably linked to those of energy provision. The world consumption of coal, oil and natural gas is likely to increase rapidly during the next few decades, particularly in developing countries. Consequently, an alternative, large source of energy must be sought for the twenty-first century, and the only viable possibility at present is nuclear power. Ultimately, however, we must look to the sun for a solution to our energy requirements. The origin of the sun's energy is similar to that of the hydrogen bomb. If only we could harness on earth the energy from such a fusion process, we would have solved our energy problems for ever. A world of limitless energy would then be opened up and that would be greatest scientific prize of all.