Read Up: Great Articles On Fukushima's Nuclear Disaster
Natural and man-made disasters collided when the a magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook Japan and sent a towering tsunami to drench its coasts. It was too much for the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant to bear, causing a disaster -- the aftermath of which is still being measured today. The following articles are hand-selected as a guide to any looking to understand the scope of Fukushima's effects.
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"How Fukushima Challenged A Core Tenet of U.S. Nuclear Safety: An Expert's View"
By Elizabeth Douglass, InsideClimate News
Douglass interviews Peter Lam, a retired nuclear engineer with 18 years of experience at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission under his belt, on the meaning of Fukushima in the U.S.'s energy consciousness and the usefulness of safety committees.
By Pico Iyer, Vanity Fair
In this emotional read, Iver profiles those heroes in HAZMAT suits who risk their lives and general health to clean up big energy's disasters, including the aftermath of Fukushima. The men discuss their motivations, inspirations and the maximum millisieverts of radiation exposure before they have to worry about cancer.
"Aging Village Shows The Way With Switch To Solar"
By Michael Hoffman, Japan Times
Small village, big idea - In the wake of Fukushima, the town of Sanno (population: 42, average age: 60) made a change and went solar. Hoffman tells the story of how a group of elderly villagers changed their consumption habits to make the shift to clean energy.
"Fukushima, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl: Putting It All In Perspective"
By NPR Staff
When news of Fukushima hit media outlets, many began to compare Japan's disaster to Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. While those other two are also profiled on this site, NPR directly compared the three and laid it out on a graph for side-by-side analysis.
"Inquiry Declares Fukushima Crisis A Man-Made Disaster"
By Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times
According to a report conducted by the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission, the nuclear disaster was a product of complacent business attitudes and lack of logical foresight. Worst of all, Fukushima was completely preventable.
