Blog do Tunes: Pandora's Promise

Pandora's Promise

"Pandora's Box" From Google Images

"We can get rid of all these !@#$%^& nuclear plants right away, because we can switch to solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, [and] ocean thermal. . ." (Pandora's Promise, Introduction) An enthusiastic speaker speaks his mind about nuclear power, and how he feels we should replace it. Using vulgar language (with the approval of the audience of course) to express his enthusiasm to the utmost extent.

Pandora's Promise is a documentary about the dangers of nuclear power. This is a fitting name for the film, as depictions of Pandora's box don't seem much different from pictures of nuclear accidents. Like the one in Fukushima. "There's no other energy source that does this, leaves huge areas contaminated by this strange invisible presence that is potentially deadly. A journalist says, as he rides through Fukushima in a car, wearing a partial radiation suit. This notion is what scared so many journalists into their anti nuclear beliefs. Some however, were not so easily convinced. Many changed their mind about nuclear, and became pro-nuclear. But only after the experts had drilled into their heads what nuclear power truly was, and how safe and productive it actually tends to be.

In some cases like that of the Nuclear Power plant being constructed on Long Island, other sources of power would put out scare adds with false information trying to spark protests against the Nuclear power plant. Like the oil industry, trying to push upon the people false facts such as "Immediate death to 3,000 people due to radiation," and "early death for 30,000 people due to cancer from radiation."

The documentary goes on to describe renewable energy sources. "I began to feel like a sucker..." Says one renewable energy aficionado, "We believed we would replace the worlds gas power plants with sources like wind and solar." When the data clearly shows that even wind and solar are second to nuclear and hydro when it comes to renewable energy sources. And because of wind and solar, which are generally unreliable, they must be backed up by fossil fuels, which creates an even wider demand for fossil fuels.

Many people fear the radiation from nuclear power plants, but as one ex-activist describes, "If you ate one banana, which have a potassium isotope that is a little high, you would get more radiation exposure, than if you drank all the water that came out of the plant in a day.