In the summer of 2011, the Bundestag decided a nuclear phase-out – a few months after the nuclear disaster of Fukushima. Under the shock of events, the great majority of the representatives of the people thought the technology was too risky. In the meantime, many countries are planning new Nuclear power plants, even in Japan. China surges ahead, with 43 planned nuclear power plants, followed by Russia with 24 and India with 14. Statista World’s planned nuclear power plants
Harvard-Professor Pinker says: coal is more dangerous than atomic Rose Lincoln/Harvard University Steven Pinker
Now a renowned Harvard Professor speaks. Steven Pinker keeps the fear of nuclear power for completely covered, as he said in an Interview with “Spiegel Online”. He thinks coal power for risky.
Pinker is a cognitive psychologist, and is involved in his research projects, with perception, language and consciousness. He examines, therefore, how people experience events and what conclusions we draw therefrom.
The Harvard Professor keeps the Germans for being paranoid. In order to prevent climate change, should reduce the carbon emissions. Because hardly anyone waive energy, Germany needs a lot of it – and environmentally-friendly produced.
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Nuclear power plants compare to abolish is “irrational”
“nuclear power plants are shut down, and thus a nearly CO2-free energy source lift is just so irrational,” says Pinker. His Central claim seems in this country provocatively: “We need more nuclear power, not less.” dpa/dpa views of the destroyed reactor of the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl.
Pinker explains that people make their Fears of images fixed around the ruins of Fukushima, or the destroyed reactor in Chernobyl. But in the case of accidents no people had come by radiation to death. In Fukushima, it was done by a Tsunami.
“coal kills!”
Pinker acknowledges, in the Wake of the Chernobyl disaster “, depending on the estimate, several Thousand, or even tens of thousands of people of cancer” could die. Higher the number of the victims were but, the “dirty air from coal-fired power plants caused”. They lead to Respiratory disease and even cancer. Pinker explains: “coal kills more than half a Million people each year.”
it is not Questioned whether the production of renewable energy is risk-free, admits Pinkert, to have no global Figures. But to accidents, but also the Installation of solar cells to run. Pinkerts Conviction: “What we can say for sure: nuclear power is the safest energy source.”
cognitive psychologist explains the German Fears
As the cause for the German nuclear-fear of Pinker cites two factors. Since the “fear of contamination”, an invisible danger for once. They lead to disgust at the germs and an irrational fear of radiation.
As the second factor Pinker calls it the complicated way people deal with risks. “We prefer to eliminate a single small risk completely, instead of reducing the overall risk,” says Pinker.
He uses the example to illustrate his view. While more and more security would issue regulations for air traffic, was driving the risk of an accident by the car per kilometre travelled is greater – often with deadly consequences.
No Repository: For Pinker is a political Problem
That there is not a Repository for radioactive waste, holds Pink for a political Problem. Technologically, this is not an insurmountable challenge. Also, Pinker is expected that future generations are able to process parts of your waste again.
the Germans Would realize that renewable energy cannot meet the high expectations, and that future nuclear power plants operate safer, be made of the German “Anti-nuclear consensus quickly out of the question. According to Pinker only a matter of time.
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