Could Japan's meltdown affect the planet?

[ArchAngelKira]

I don't know enough to say for sure. All I know is Japan can do anything america does by x10 so this will be solved because the Japanese are smart people

 

[Exterminas]

What question is that?
Japan is part of the planet.
It will affect Japan.
It will affect the planet.

The question you really seem to ask is "Will it affect me?" and that is a pretty sad question considering the fact that it should affect anyone, even aside from radiation, as a tragical event in world history.

 

[Virus0015]

does anyone know if the control rods are on top or under the reactor?

Don't think it matters. Reactors with control rods situated under the reactor would have redundant systems (hydraulic accumulators etc.) to force control rods into place in the event of power loss. It may not be quite as reliable as gravity, but if there are multiple backup systems the difference is trivial.

 

[Zechnophobe]

Serious question. If Japan suffers a meltdown is this only something that will affect Japan or will affect the planet?

I'm not talking economics or what not, cause I'm sure that would take a hit, I speak more out of fear of genuine damage to the environment and possible Fallout.

Fallout? You don't get fallout from radiation. A meltdown isn't the same as a nuke going off, there isn't explosive force to contend with. Rather, the contained radiation in the plant will massively leak out into the area.

That said, they'd have to pretty well screw it up to get this to actually happen now. But, for the sake of argument, they actually do. It would effectively irradiate the area around the plant to some radius, making it basically uninhabitable. I don't really know the duration of the problem, nor the specific radius involved. But I'm pretty that is nicely accurate.

 

[Exterminas]

What question is that?
Japan is part of the planet.
It will affect Japan.
It will affect the planet.

The question you really seem to ask is "Will it affect me?" and that is a pretty sad question considering the fact that it should affect anyone, even aside from radiation, as a tragical event in world history.

no.. asking "will it affect me" is not only a natural response to ,well, pretty much anything, it is also a good one that is hard grained into everyone as part of you basic survival instinct .. and it's far from a major tragedy in world history.. in fact it's not even big enough to make the cliff notes in reality .. much worse things have happened before and will happen again and to blow it up into a world wide major event, which it isn't, is just foolish and unrealistic .. I mean common the official death toll isn't even at 5000 yet.. that's not even close to being in the same scale as some boarder skirmishes and small civil wars that are going on constantly in Africa right now.. some of those are close the genocide... I have no problem with people feeling sorry for others who something terrible happened to but let's not make a mountain out of a mole hill

Sorry but you can't meassure severity of world events in body count.
World War one was sparked by one lousy Death.

Let's take a look at japan's Meltdown.
Rightnow major nations of europa are planning to stop using nuclear power, while china plans on building 40 new plants, harnessing the dropping price of uranium and the rising energy price.

This can result in a mirad of effects, here are a few scenarios:
-Europe becomes the center of renewable energy sources, the power of the future
-Europe falls back onto fossil fuels, draning the worlds resources even faster and increasing global warming.
-Europe may fail on any changes, leaving it dependant from foreign power supply (China for example)
-The whole thing can blow up and severly damage Japan'S economy and cultural power in asia. It is one of the few countries there that isn't a communist dictatorship. Enhancing China's Power over the greater asian region.

So yes, a really minor incident with no potential to change the world.

 

[PatrickXD]

From what I understand, which I admit is limited to news reports and a couple of forum postings across the net, this is not anywhere near the scale of Chernobyl.
Chernobyl affected the entire planet, however not a whole lot, mainly just the area around Chernobyl was affected.
In short, not really, no.

 

[veloper]

Nope. That requires alot of nukes going off, not a mere meltdown or two.

 

[GeorgW]

First off, Japan is part of the planet... It will probably spread radiation to its "neighboring" countries, but that's it. No long term damage.

 

[Mrsoupcup]

Probably, not radiation wise. Would be more localized to surrounding areas. But Japan is a small island nation, the amount of refugees would be over whelming.

 

[Carlston]

There have been many accidents in the past, radiation dissipates fairly quick so, I doubt it.
Rule of 7 and all that...

But what do I know, I only worked next to a reactor for 4 years ;p

We'll live.

 

[Atmos Duality]

The term "meltdown" isn't even scientifically correct; it's a cutesy term the media invented way way back during the Three Mile Island days.

Ah fear-mongering; keeping your citizens paranoid and in-line since the dawn of civilization.

You can either develop a rational response/solution to a problem, or you can scare people away from ever confronting the problem in the first place.

 

[Keith Reedy]

What question is that?
Japan is part of the planet.
It will affect Japan.
It will affect the planet.

The question you really seem to ask is "Will it affect me?" and that is a pretty sad question considering the fact that it should affect anyone, even aside from radiation, as a tragical event in world history.

no.. asking "will it affect me" is not only a natural response to ,well, pretty much anything, it is also a good one that is hard grained into everyone as part of you basic survival instinct .. and it's far from a major tragedy in world history.. in fact it's not even big enough to make the cliff notes in reality .. much worse things have happened before and will happen again and to blow it up into a world wide major event, which it isn't, is just foolish and unrealistic .. I mean common the official death toll isn't even at 5000 yet.. that's not even close to being in the same scale as some boarder skirmishes and small civil wars that are going on constantly in Africa right now.. some of those are close the genocide... I have no problem with people feeling sorry for others who something terrible happened to but let's not make a mountain out of a mole hill

Sorry but you can't meassure severity of world events in body count.
World War one was sparked by one lousy Death.

Let's take a look at japan's Meltdown.
Rightnow major nations of europa are planning to stop using nuclear power, while china plans on building 40 new plants, harnessing the dropping price of uranium and the rising energy price.

This can result in a mirad of effects, here are a few scenarios:
-Europe becomes the center of renewable energy sources, the power of the future
-Europe falls back onto fossil fuels, draning the worlds resources even faster and increasing global warming.
-Europe may fail on any changes, leaving it dependant from foreign power supply (China for example)
-The whole thing can blow up and severly damage Japan'S economy and cultural power in asia. It is one of the few countries there that isn't a communist dictatorship. Enhancing China's Power over the greater asian region.

So yes, a really minor incident with no potential to change the world.

well when one of those things happens then let me know but till then, especially since not all the possible outcomes are "tragedies" don't assume things and blow it out of proportion.. till then it's just another bunch of people who died and people die in greater numbers all the time .. in fact I'd put money on this not changing the larger picture of the world in any significant way at all.. oh people died it's sad and in a few months nothing globaly will change and something else will happen and all but a few will pretty much forget about Japan to freak out over the latest "major world changing tragedy"

What question is that?
Japan is part of the planet.
It will affect Japan.
It will affect the planet.

The question you really seem to ask is "Will it affect me?" and that is a pretty sad question considering the fact that it should affect anyone, even aside from radiation, as a tragical event in world history.

no.. asking "will it affect me" is not only a natural response to ,well, pretty much anything, it is also a good one that is hard grained into everyone as part of you basic survival instinct .. and it's far from a major tragedy in world history.. in fact it's not even big enough to make the cliff notes in reality .. much worse things have happened before and will happen again and to blow it up into a world wide major event, which it isn't, is just foolish and unrealistic .. I mean common the official death toll isn't even at 5000 yet.. that's not even close to being in the same scale as some boarder skirmishes and small civil wars that are going on constantly in Africa right now.. some of those are close the genocide... I have no problem with people feeling sorry for others who something terrible happened to but let's not make a mountain out of a mole hill

Sorry but you can't meassure severity of world events in body count.
World War one was sparked by one lousy Death.

Let's take a look at japan's Meltdown.
Rightnow major nations of europa are planning to stop using nuclear power, while china plans on building 40 new plants, harnessing the dropping price of uranium and the rising energy price.

This can result in a mirad of effects, here are a few scenarios:
-Europe becomes the center of renewable energy sources, the power of the future
-Europe falls back onto fossil fuels, draning the worlds resources even faster and increasing global warming.
-Europe may fail on any changes, leaving it dependant from foreign power supply (China for example)
-The whole thing can blow up and severly damage Japan'S economy and cultural power in asia. It is one of the few countries there that isn't a communist dictatorship. Enhancing China's Power over the greater asian region.

So yes, a really minor incident with no potential to change the world.

Holy Conspiracy theories batman, I would just like to point out that for some reason every time a thread comes up like this everyone suddenly changes from guys who play games and don't know jack to political analysts and nuclear scientists. Yes we all have access to the internet, yes tis the best info gathering tool, but basically no one properly researches info to post on a forum thread so the result is MASSIVE PRETENTIOUSNESS. I hate threads like these, hm y post on them then, guess I like to laugh at the above mentioned tranformation

 

[Altorin]

the... planet?

ha

no.

Even if the plant catastrophically exploded with the force of a nuclear bomb and blew radioactive dust into the air for miles and miles the planet as a whole (and the people on it) would be largely unaffected.

Japan would be in serious trouble though.

This question sort of reminds me of the Big Bang Theory when that guy shows concern that their telescope laser will destroy the moon.

 

[LetalisK]

This situation shows why we should never have nuclear power. It's just too dangerous to us and to the environment. *casually ignores all the far worse environmental damage and death toll caused by more conventional energy methods*

 

[Booze Zombie]

Did the Chernobyl accident affect the planet's environment?

No.

Really?
To my knowledge, the radiation was carried all the way over from Russia to the Scottish islands just over from where my grandmother lives and did actually effect people and animals.

Just so I don't seem like some raving "my family said-" person, here's a link: http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2009/04/27/sheep-in-scotland-still-contain-chernobyl-radiation-903/

Some would say that our use of nuclear weapons and some number of nuclear accidents are responsible for increased cancer rates in the world, due to the lack of knowledge and/or care by agencies using nuclear material in the past.

But anyway, I've got the feeling that whilst this won't end the world, it will effect it.
If the effect is nuclear or economic, is yet to be seen.

First off, Japan is part of the planet... It will probably spread radiation to its "neighboring" countries, but that's it. No long term damage.

Would that not depend on if the nuclear material made it into the atmosphere?

 

[Exterminas]

Holy Conspiracy theories batman, I would just like to point out that for some reason every time a thread comes up like this everyone suddenly changes from guys who play games and don't know jack to political analysts and nuclear scientists. Yes we all have access to the internet, yes tis the best info gathering tool, but basically no one properly researches info to post on a forum thread so the result is MASSIVE PRETENTIOUSNESS. I hate threads like these, hm y post on them then, guess I like to laugh at the above mentioned tranformation

Sorry if my attempt to think beyond the obvious offended you. But I think it is in our responsibility as citizens in a democratic world to consider the effects of current events. IF we alle just wanted to stick at home with our games, not bothering what the big boys do, we could have sticked with the Kings and Führers.

 

[mad825]

We might see a small sharp rise in food prices and more regulations on the health standards with the food that is sold nothing more unless you live near the radiated zone in which case it's going to have a big impact on your life.