When Hamad Al Kaabi set off for last week’s meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, a place 8,000 kilometres away is likely to have dominated his thoughts – Fukushima.
As the UAE’s permanent representative to the IAEA, Mr Al Kaabi will know that what happened to the Japanese facility is critical to perceptions of his own country’s nuclear plans.
The UAE's first reactors are now being built on the coast at Barakah, 300 kilometres west of Abu Dhabi city, by a South Korean consortium. If all goes to plan, around a quarter of the Emirates’ energy consumption will be met by nuclear power by 2020.
But the disaster at Fukushima cast a long shadow over the very idea of nuclear power. It remains second only to the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, but its implications are at least as serious.
What happened to the Ukrainian reactor was the result of a series of almost unimaginable human blunders. Its design was fundamentally flawed, making it susceptible to overheating. Its operators performed an unauthorised experiment that involved disabling its safety features.
And when the inevitable explosion took place, there was no “containment vessel” to prevent the radioactivity spreading far and wide.
In contrast, the Fukushima reactors were based on a tried and tested design, protected against both earthquakes and tsunamis, and had containment vessels.
Yet the “impossible” still happened. A devastating magnitude-9 earthquake struck this supposedly low-risk site on March 11, 2011.
Barely an hour later, a towering 14-metre tsunami struck, overwhelming the 10-metre seawall and swamping the reactors.
Acting together, these two natural phenomena succeeded in undermining the design safety features, leaving only the containment vessels to prevent utter devastation.
The lesson seems clear – when it comes to nuclear power, even the impossible cannot be ignored.
Anti-nuclear campaigners worldwide seized on the event. Last month saw demonstrations in Indonesia against plans to build more reactors, despite the power blackouts blighting the area.
Even a former chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission spoke out against nuclear energy. Gregory Jaczko, now at Princeton University, said last month that the lesson of Fukushima is that society is not willing to tolerate accidents that are beyond prediction.
And why should we? What happened at Chernobyl and Fukushima was appalling, and if the nuclear industry cannot prevent them happening again, should we not abandon nuclear energy?
It is into this heated debate that some cold facts need to be brought in. The most important of these is that there is a huge gulf between perceptions of the consequences of Chernobyl and Fukushima and the reality.
Ask people to estimate the numbers of deaths from the radiation released by the Chernobyl explosion and figures often soar into the thousands. In fact, it led to around 60 direct deaths, which, while tragic, is barely half the toll in Ukraine’s coal mines every year.
Thousands of extra cases of cancer were caused by the radiation released, but the “C-word” obscures the fact that these are almost entirely thyroid cancers – which are rarely fatal. To date, the number of fatalities from these long-term effects is around 15.
As for the horror stories of deformed babies and mass outbreaks of leukaemia, these have proved entirely unfounded. While cases of both have occurred, there is no evidence they are at anything other than the “background” level.
As a UN report into the health effects of Chernobyl put it: “Claims have been made that tens or even hundreds of thousands of persons have died as a result of the accident. These claims are highly exaggerated.”
It’s a similar story with Fukushima. When the almost unimaginable scenes of devastation appeared, media reports warned of vast numbers of radiation-related casualties.
Yet according to the official UN report, not one of the almost 25,000 workers involved suffered any acute effects from radiation.
As for longer-term effects such as thyroid cancer, these are likely to be so rare as to be undetectable against the general background.
Citing such statistics seems almost callous in the face of the undoubted suffering of those affected by these events. These people may not have been afflicted by the horrors invoked by campaigners, but they have unquestionably suffered severe mental anguish.
In both cases, fears of the radiation risk led to tens of thousands of people being moved from their homes. Their communities were broken up and their livelihoods destroyed. Parents feared for the health of their children and unborn babies.
Although these fears may have been unfounded, the consequences were anything but. Indeed, these constitute the real threat from a nuclear power disaster.
In the months following the Chernobyl disaster, doctors noticed a rise in the numbers of abortions in some European countries affected by the fallout. The IAEA estimated the total number of terminations at more than 100,000. Anxiety levels and rates of psychosomatic illnesses also soared.
The same has been seen in Fukushima. According to the Japanese government, more than 1,600 people have since died from causes “related to the disaster”, such as stress and even suicide. Fear of radiation can be far more devastating than radiation itself.
The failure of governments to tackle the misplaced fear of radiation is one of the greatest public health scandals of our time. It is leading to untold misery, even death, among thousands of people. If left unchecked, it could cause many more unnecessary deaths by robbing nations of a vital source of power.
The fact is that the world needs nuclear power, as there is no short-term alternative. For all its failings, it is still the most reliable high-density, low-carbon source of energy currently available.
Tragically, those failings have been grossly exaggerated. A reactor explosion is rare, but it feeds into our worst nightmares.
The failings of the alternatives – from gas explosions to deaths incurred during fossil-fuel extraction – are so routine they rarely make headlines.
Some deserve wider circulation: how many realise that the world’s coal-fired power stations dump a hundred times more radiation into the environment – via isotope-rich fly ash – than nuclear power stations?
Should we empty all homes around coal-fired stations? Of course not – the risk is trivial.
The risk of nuclear accidents should never be dismissed as trivial. The industry must learn the lessons of Chernobyl and Fukushima.
And we can do our part by recognising that with nuclear power, our biggest fear is fear itself.
Robert Matthews is visiting reader in science at Aston University, Birmingham
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Borussia Dortmund, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'The Ice Road'
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Stars: Liam Neeson, Amber Midthunder, Laurence Fishburne
2/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
England-South Africa Test series
1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London
2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London
4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
