Chernobyl 2? Watching the world's aging power plants

Chernobyl 2? Watching the world's aging power plants

 In a February 14, 2014 article on foxnews.com by Jeremy Kaplan   , a serious concern for global security is outlined.  The concern is that the world’s nuclear power plants are aging.  The danger of aging nuclear power plants is instability. Our technology has evolved greatly in the past 4 decades, but most of the world’s nuclear power plants are over 20 years old and are only predicted to last 30-40 years. This is a serious concern for all nations of the world because of the potential for meltdowns. The article presents an argument for action to form a regulatory agency that works with governments to “professionalize security and to facilitate minimum standards of competence and regulatory procedures.” 

Furthermore, the article outlines that the United Nation’s International Atomic Energy Agency acts as a nuclear watchdog at times, but that the IAEA aids “member countries in maintaining power plants to tease extra years from them while preventing incidents.” This means that the IAEA is helping to extend the life of a power plant, which could be bad if there are no minimum standards of competence on nuclear power plant operations and upkeep.

The IAEA is doing a good job right now, but the real problem lies in the near future when most of the world’s nuclear power plants become dangerously close to incident.

In terms of foreign policy, this is a major issue because it demands that countries work with each other to establish nuclear power plant minimum standards so that no incidents like that of Chernobyl ever happen again. And with the nuclear power “renaissance” currently underway, more countries are expanding nuclear power as a source for energy, the issue has supreme ripeness in the political realm and thus provides a perfect opportunity for such measures to prevent catastrophe.

By Christopher M. Vacek

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/02/14/chernobyl-2-watching-worlds-aging-power-plants/