The Truth About Nuclear Energy
The Truth About Nuclear Energy
Chernobyl, Fukushima, The Simpsons power plant, they all involve lies!
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Written by Greg Brown and Laura Roklicer
Edited by Luka Šarlija
Video References:
InANutShell - How Many People Did Nuclear Energy Kill? Nuclear Death Toll • Worst Nuclear Accidents in History
Real Engineering - The Economics of Nuclear Energy • The Economics of Nuclear Energy
References:
The Story of More by Hope Jahren
https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/ar…
https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sou…
https://www.nature.com/articles/497539e
https://environmentalprogress.org/big…
https://www.health.harvard.edu/cancer…
https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispat…
How To Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates
https://www.google.com/url?q=http://w…
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti…
https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sou…
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti…
https://vault.sierraclub.org/nuclear/…
Content
0 -> thanks to skillshare for sponsoring this
1.52 -> episode this was humanity's first
3.439 -> introduction to nuclear power
5.12 -> the atomic bomb and this is a nuclear
7.759 -> power plant which you may know from all
9.36 -> the times that they've broken down in
10.96 -> history and
11.92 -> scared the crap out of people hello
13.759 -> hbo's chernobyl but you've actually been
15.92 -> lied to about nuclear energy
17.6 -> and in order to understand those lies we
19.6 -> first have to talk about
20.8 -> where the energy comes from in 1938
23.199 -> scientists discovered nuclear fission
25.68 -> they did this by
26.48 -> slamming an atom of uranium with a
28.32 -> neutron it would divide into two and
30.24 -> release a large
31.439 -> amount of energy not only this but
33.6 -> during the nuclear fission reaction
35.84 -> up to three neutrons are ejected which
38.079 -> can trigger further fission reactions of
40.559 -> more atoms meaning more energy is
42.64 -> released this is known as a chain
44.879 -> reaction
45.6 -> during world war ii america would use
47.52 -> this same technology to create the first
49.36 -> atomic bomb
50.16 -> but it wasn't until 1955 that the same
53.12 -> scientific principles were used to
54.559 -> create the first
55.36 -> nuclear power plant that generated
57.039 -> electricity in the 1970s
58.879 -> psychologists started to map people's
60.64 -> anxieties about nuclear destruction and
62.879 -> the past cold war
64.4 -> onto nuclear power plants which were now
66.56 -> cropping up around the world
67.92 -> then came the 1979 thriller the china
70.72 -> syndrome a movie about a fictional
72.799 -> nuclear reactor meltdown which was
74.799 -> released on march
76.08 -> 6 1979 and just 22 days later a
80.159 -> real partial nuclear reactor meltdown
82.479 -> happened at three mile island
84.4 -> talk about free advertisement for your
85.84 -> movie the coincidence of a hollywood
87.68 -> film and this cultural
89.2 -> nuclear reactor breakdown coming
90.96 -> together really shot into the mainstream
93.2 -> this
93.68 -> negative connotation with nuclear energy
95.68 -> from the release of this movie to 1988
98.56 -> 67 planned nuclear power plants were
101.439 -> canceled in 1986
103.28 -> chernobyl happened which was caused by
105.36 -> human error
106.32 -> as the temperature of the reactor core
108.32 -> became too high
109.439 -> and an explosion created a nuclear cloud
112.32 -> across
112.799 -> europe i scream cried while watching
115.119 -> chernobyl i remember thinking to myself
116.719 -> okay is nuclear energy a truly invisible
119.6 -> horror
120.24 -> right after that in 1989 we got the
122.24 -> simpsons where we see people
123.84 -> diving into nuclear waste and our
125.759 -> favorite idiot homer who we all picture
127.84 -> as a
128.399 -> safety inspector at a nuclear reactor as
131.36 -> recent as 2011 we have the fukushima
134.4 -> nuclear disaster and all of this
136.16 -> combined made it really hard to not be
138.239 -> afraid of nuclear energy
139.92 -> but when you look more into it you find
141.68 -> that no one died at three mile island
144.239 -> and most epidemiological studies found
146.64 -> that it had no detectable health
148.4 -> consequences
149.36 -> after 30 years only 51 people died from
152.319 -> the incident at chernobyl
153.76 -> and scientific studies found few health
156.08 -> risks connected to radiation exposure
158 -> after fukushima take this recent in a
160 -> nutshell video linked in the description
162 -> it shows how using coal oil natural gas
164.879 -> and biomass has killed 100 million
167.2 -> people
167.68 -> in the past 50 years this was due to
169.76 -> pollution created by the byproducts of
171.599 -> burning fossil fuels
172.72 -> the world health organization explains
174.4 -> that it's safer to work in a nuclear
176.4 -> power plant than in a big city office as
178.72 -> the urban air pollution of
180.159 -> ozone sulfur dioxide carbon monoxide and
182.959 -> nitrogen dioxide
184.159 -> causes 7 million deaths annually only
188.04 -> 0.005 percent of the average americans
191.04 -> yearly radiation dose
192.64 -> comes from nuclear power this is 200
195.04 -> times less than a cross
197.599 -> a hundred times less than what we get
199.519 -> from coal and about the same as eating
202 -> one banana per year wait so if i'm
204.4 -> scared of nuclear energy i also have to
206.48 -> be scared
207.36 -> of a banana but like peanut butter and
210 -> bananas on toast
211.12 -> is my culture also being gay i hate
213.599 -> holding bananas like this because it
214.72 -> just reminds me of getting bullied
216.159 -> there's also this study showing that a
218.159 -> ct scan of the abdomen involves about 10
221.04 -> times the radiation exposure
222.799 -> that the average nuclear worker gets in
224.959 -> a year or that living in a big polluted
227.28 -> city increases your mortality risk by
229.599 -> 2.8 times that of a chernobyl cleanup
232.56 -> worker
233.12 -> so what is happening is nuclear energy
236 -> dangerous or
237.04 -> safe but just before we get to that we
239.12 -> want to thank today's sponsor skillshare
241.04 -> the first 1 000 people to use the link
242.799 -> in our description get a free trial of
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246.319 -> check it out because it goes fast
247.76 -> skillshare is actually how i improved my
249.76 -> own animation skills to animate
251.599 -> this channel with greg's drawings i also
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256.079 -> and it's just an amazing way to continue
258.079 -> to learn and grow your brain
259.759 -> skillshare is an online learning
261.6 -> community with thousands of classes for
263.84 -> curious and creative people you can
265.52 -> explore new skills or deepen current
267.36 -> passions like
268.08 -> this course that i took for beginner
269.68 -> birders where it actually taught me
271.68 -> to correctly identify morning dubs it
273.759 -> was so exciting it turns out that their
274.96 -> wings make a specific type of noise
277.44 -> i'm obsessed with birding or this class
279.36 -> about electricity generation where you
280.96 -> can take a deep dive into solar
283.04 -> wind and nuclear energy and actually
284.96 -> understand the physics and mechanics of
287.199 -> generating this electricity this was
288.88 -> integral for me making this video it's
290.8 -> curated specifically for learning
292.479 -> meaning that there are no ads and
294.16 -> they're always launching new premium
296 -> classes at the cost of 10 a month with
298.56 -> an annual subscription which
300 -> is amazing so you can help our show by
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303.68 -> the first thousand people will get a
305.12 -> free trial of premium membership this
306.88 -> genuinely
307.6 -> is how you guys can support us here at
309.919 -> asep science now let's get back to the
311.44 -> core of this video about the nuclear
313.039 -> reactor's core these reactors use low
315.28 -> enriched uranium and control
317.039 -> chain reactions to heat pressurized
319.199 -> water which in turn
320.639 -> heats other water in a secondary circuit
322.8 -> that causes steam
324.16 -> to rotate a turbine which is linked to a
326.639 -> generator
327.36 -> that creates electricity pool water from
329.28 -> a river or ocean can be pumped in to
331.28 -> cool the water in the secondary circuit
333.44 -> or sometimes cooling towers are built
336 -> like these iconic bad boys that we all
338 -> know and love from the simpsons current
340.08 -> research has found that american
341.52 -> opinions haven't
342.479 -> changed much on nuclear energy since the
344.639 -> cold war which is weird because it feels
346.72 -> like culture has shifted kids no longer
348.56 -> learn to hide under their desks in
350 -> preparation for nuclear war now they
351.759 -> learn to hide under their desks for
353.12 -> preparation of a mass
354.479 -> shooter in fact 54 of americans still
357.039 -> oppose nuclear energy today
358.8 -> so let's talk nuclear power plant safety
361.28 -> a harvard study found that
362.72 -> newer generations of nuclear reactors
365.12 -> particularly what is called
366.56 -> pebble bed reactors are designed so that
368.96 -> the nuclear chain reaction
370.479 -> cannot run away and cause a meltdown
372.479 -> even in the event of a complete failure
374.56 -> of the reactor's machinery and that with
376.4 -> the advent of modern reactors such as
378.319 -> the pebble bed reactor and careful
380 -> selection of plant sites nuclear
381.919 -> accidents like the one in fukushima are
383.759 -> actually not possible but some people
385.44 -> think that emphasizing safety actually
387.12 -> just emphasizes fear
388.319 -> airlines don't advertise how safe they
390 -> are because then you would just be
391.28 -> thinking about
392.08 -> crashing the whole time you were on the
393.52 -> plane and the fact that you need to look
395.28 -> next to the stranger beside you and be
396.72 -> like i don't i love you i'm sorry
398.639 -> goodbye while you're
399.84 -> screaming and the plane's shaking and
401.919 -> you have to cover your head and
402.96 -> apparently
403.68 -> your legs break on impact so maybe
405.759 -> nuclear energy should use the airline's
407.84 -> approach and stop
408.72 -> explaining why they're safe and start
410.84 -> unapologetically explaining how great
412.8 -> they are nuclear reactors such as diablo
415.199 -> canyon which will be closed in 2024 due
417.84 -> to cost upkeep
419.039 -> accounts for roughly 9 of california's
421.919 -> energy
422.56 -> but occupies fewer than 600 acres
425.28 -> honestly that's
426.08 -> wowzers to think of that much energy
428.16 -> coming out of that little diablo canyon
430.319 -> there are currently 56
431.759 -> nuclear power plants operating in the
433.44 -> u.s that provide the country with
434.96 -> roughly 20
436.319 -> of the electrical supply that's more
437.919 -> than half of the us's low carbon
440.16 -> electricity
440.88 -> the nasa goddard institute predicts that
442.96 -> nuclear power has prevented 1.84 million
446.16 -> deaths that would have occurred if the
448 -> energy was produced by fossil fuels this
449.919 -> is 370 times
451.599 -> more lives saved than have been lost to
454.319 -> any nuclear power plant issues in the
456.08 -> last 40 years
457.28 -> at this point i feel very lied to but
459.84 -> what about the nuclear waste
461.44 -> 97 of the waste created by nuclear
463.919 -> plants is classified as
465.36 -> low or intermediate level waste all the
467.759 -> nuclear waste in the us
469.12 -> is often compared to the size of a
470.72 -> football field piled 50 feet high
473.12 -> the world nuclear association describes
474.8 -> that the waste is encapsulated in a
476.8 -> highly engineered casks in stable
478.96 -> vitrified form and is emplaced at depths
481.599 -> well below the biosphere such long-term
483.52 -> geological storage solutions are
485.199 -> designed to prevent
486.08 -> any movement of radioactivity for
488 -> thousands of years so even in the event
490.08 -> of an
490.56 -> earthquake or natural disaster these
492.4 -> repositories will keep the waste from
494.4 -> reaching the surface and releasing
495.919 -> radiation in addition 96
498.16 -> of this waste can be recycled to make
500.319 -> new fuel and byproducts
501.84 -> so the nuclear power industry puts their
504.4 -> waste
504.879 -> in monitored concrete casks deep into
508.16 -> the ground but the coal
509.84 -> oil and natural gas industries release
512.32 -> their waste
513.039 -> into the atmosphere where it causes
515.279 -> pollution and kills thousands of people
517.2 -> a year and like
518.08 -> all the birds and these greenhouse gases
520.32 -> contribute to the sixth largest mass
521.919 -> extinction that we are currently in
523.519 -> and to the climate crisis that we are
525.279 -> currently in so
526.64 -> is it safe well nuclear energy is
529.2 -> definitely safer than the fossil fuels
531.12 -> that we are addicted to
532.24 -> right now the fear of nuclear energy is
535.04 -> getting
535.44 -> in the way of us having an honest
536.88 -> discussion of how it can work with
538.88 -> renewable energy to get us to a zero
540.8 -> carbon future as stated the us gets 20
543.68 -> of its electricity from nuclear power
545.519 -> plants france gets
546.959 -> 70 from nuclear impressive research at
549.76 -> mit analyzed 1 000 scenarios of getting
552.72 -> to our zero carbon future
554.56 -> and all the cheapest paths involved
556.48 -> nuclear helping renewable energy get to
558.56 -> where it needs to be
559.519 -> focusing in on america there is a
561.44 -> scenario where you can get to a zero
563.6 -> carbon future
564.8 -> with just renewables and leaving the
566.959 -> existing nuclear power plants on but
569.2 -> this is specific to america because
571.04 -> america is
571.76 -> rich in renewable energy opportunities
573.76 -> it's got the windy texas
575.36 -> the super sunny california many other
577.839 -> parts of the world do not have the
579.519 -> ability to rely on renewable energy in
581.6 -> this way
582.08 -> it's for this reason that the uk has put
583.839 -> nuclear front and center for how it's
585.68 -> going to get to zero carbon emissions
587.279 -> because they can't really rely on solar
589.04 -> and wind in the same way
590.16 -> china is also currently building nuclear
591.92 -> reactors due to their increasing
593.76 -> consumption of energy now up to this
595.68 -> point we've ignored a really important
597.44 -> part of this conversation
598.72 -> the economics explained really well in
600.8 -> this real engineering video linked in
602.56 -> the description
603.279 -> nuclear power plants are extremely
605.6 -> expensive to create
606.72 -> since 1996 only one nuclear power plant
609.519 -> has been made in the u.s
610.88 -> and likely due to the cost not fear take
613.279 -> the crappy scenario in south carolina
615.12 -> where a 9
616.079 -> billion nuclear plant wasn't finished
618.399 -> and now the people of south carolina are
620.32 -> paying for it even though it's releasing
622.48 -> no energy but innovation in the nuclear
624.72 -> power space could make reactors that are
626.64 -> smaller and much more cost effective we
628.48 -> all know that we need to scale up
630 -> renewable energy and there have been
631.839 -> amazing strides made across the earth
634.079 -> but we can't
634.88 -> allow our irrational fear of nuclear
637.2 -> energy to stop its ability to innovate a
639.279 -> great start would be to look at a
640.56 -> climate platform drafted by john kerry
642.64 -> and aoc which included a plan to create
644.839 -> cost-effective pathways
646.399 -> for developing innovative reactors the
648.399 -> biggest lie about nuclear energy is the
650.32 -> way it's been depicted towards
652.16 -> us in culture whether it's from the
653.839 -> simpsons which honestly made me
655.44 -> honestly scared about nuclear energy
657.2 -> that lie is real i feel like i have was
659.92 -> so scared about nuclear energy
661.519 -> until i started to do all this research
663.12 -> about the climate crisis and
664.56 -> realize that we probably need it i think
666.24 -> the biggest takeaway from this
667.76 -> is that we need to stop the infighting
670 -> we're all against the fossil fuel
671.2 -> industry and we want to save this planet
672.72 -> and we want to get to net
674.32 -> zero carbon emission as a society and
676.56 -> it's a great option for us to come
678.24 -> together whenever we talk about nuclear
679.76 -> energy on our channel the comments are
681.6 -> heated it's like a cold war
683.279 -> okay people who are pro-nuclear are like
685.76 -> if we don't use nuclear we're gonna
687.2 -> become tree-hugging lefties and like
689.04 -> marry a solar panel
690.56 -> and people who are anti-nuclear energy
692.16 -> are like if we use it we're all gonna
693.6 -> die
694 -> and i'm just like okay we need to stop
695.68 -> this infighting because we need to be
697.36 -> talking about the dangerous
698.959 -> fossil fuels that we know and are
700.88 -> currently killing all
702 -> of us so where do we go from here we
704.16 -> want your help with this this is not a
706 -> simple answer so please in the comments
708.16 -> let us know what you think have you been
709.68 -> scared of nuclear energy is nuclear
711.519 -> energy something that you believe in
712.959 -> something that you're against
714.16 -> we will be there and we will be
715.76 -> responding to you and maybe we'll be
717.279 -> talking about the new nuclear fusion
719.76 -> reactor as well which is so cool
721.68 -> so check out the links in the
722.8 -> description and we'll see you there
723.92 -> thank you so much for watching and we
725.36 -> will see you next week for a new science
727.12 -> video or maybe a climate change video
729.04 -> peace
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glM80kRWbes