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Radioactive Detectives |
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 Posted: Alex Detig |
Sunday, 31 July 2011 10:05 |
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Sellafield, Chernobyl, Fukushima – names that evoke a certain dread and a deep unease with what they stand for: nuclear energy. We are on a fast track to dependency on nuclear energy to preserve our current way of life. If we continue to use energy the way we have been, there may be no alternative other than to continue to dabble in nuclear energy production. But there is a price to pay for this careless energy consumption. Nuclear power is far more dangerous than we are often led to believe: it is anything but under our control and the disposal of its waste products is often handled way too casually for its inherent risks. The consequences of a potential nuclear disaster and the impact of radiation from its waste products could be far-reaching, not just for current generations, but many to come.
These are the conclusions reached by some experts – people who have dedicated their working life to investigating the safety or risks posed by nuclear power production. They are the ‘Radioactive Detectives’. They want to establish what is true and what is fiction in the elaborate and complex web of truths, half-truths and lies woven around the topic of nuclear energy production by those in authority. In this three-part series, we are on the trail of some of the most well-informed and dedicated nuclear energy experts as they try to establish the truth about nuclear energy production.
Their work couldn’t be more topical: since the Fukushima disaster, nuclear energy has become a hot potato that is endlessly debated and assessed. In its wake, some industrial nations are seriously debating the safety issues. Germany has already announced the complete withdrawal from nuclear power production. But even though there are serious reasons to doubt the safety of nuclear energy, there are plans underway to build yet more nuclear reactors in other countries, including the UK. What’s the real cost and what are the real risks? The ‘Radioactive Detectives’ have made it their mission to dispel the myths about nuclear power and present the hard facts.
The aim is to investigate three areas of nuclear power: energy production for civilian consumption, its military use, and the disposal of radioactive waste. The debate about their safety and the potential impact on the environment worldwide is not new – it raged long before Fukushima in March 2011 and reaches way back to the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and the first problems encountered at Sellafield in the 1950s. But it has gained new momentum and a high public profile. The series ‘Radioactive Detectives’ builds on this newfound interest, picks up on the points raised in the public debate and seeks to investigate and demonstrate the facts on location with the help of the main contributors.
But this series is not just a factual investigation into the pros and cons of nuclear energy – it is also a very personal journey that profiles the backgrounds of the three main protagonists. We find out what motivates them to put themselves in harms way and sometimes into conflict with the authorities in order to piece together the story of nuclear power in a selection of nuclear sites across the globe. Their scientific integrity and competency is of the highest order and they seek to provide an objective assessment of the issues. The viewer will accompany them during their efforts to amass information and conduct their scientific fieldwork. Given the precarious nature of their work and the high stakes involved on the side of the nuclear authorities, governments, the people working in and around reactor sites and the public at large, this is a rollercoaster ride that is as fascinating as it is informative.
The authenticity of the protagonists, the insights into their personal lives and motivations, the constant search for evidence, the confrontations with the authorities and other scientists, makes this series into something of an environmental detective story. Gripping, at times shocking and always enlightening, this is a must-see investigation into one of the most topical and pressing issues of our time.