Atomic Alternative: Accident in Japan Highlights Deadly Downside of Nuclear Power Plants

China Confidential:" A blow to nuclear power, a boost for green energy.

Monday's earthquake-caused accident at Japan's supposedly safe, seven-reactor Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant is a major setback for an industry--worldwide--which has been trying to recast itself in a green hue. The accident highlights the unacceptable risks associated with civilian atomic energy, regardless of its potential benefits.
And here is the rest of it. Simply put, the downside--mass death and destruction--can't be justified by the upside.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company plant, which is located at the epicenter of the deadly quake that hit northwestern Japan, suffered some 50 malfunctions, including fires, burst pipes, water leaks and ... radioactive ... waste spillage.

The magnitude 6.8 quake killed at least nine people and injured another 1,000.

Inexplicable--and inexcusable--delays in notifying the public triggered outrage among anti-nuclear activists and criticism from top officials.

Japan's 55 nuclear reactors, which supply 30 percent of the quake-prone country's electricity, have a long history of accidents and coverups."

Update: Now we hear that some amount of radioactive water was "spilled" into the ocean.This story isn't so unfamiliar, is it? We've heard it before, and the fallouts and ramfications were not good.