Notebook About Environmental Concerns - Softcover

Inhaltsangabe

On March 11, 2011, a worst-case scenario in the history of the civil use of nuclear energy occurred: a natural disaster triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident. At about 3 pm JST, the Tohoku earthquake, magnitude 9.0, struck off the east coast of Japan at an underwater depth of about 30 km (19mi). It was the strongest earthquake to hit Japan since record-keeping began, triggering a gigantic tsunami with waves up to 40 m (133 ft). The tsunami’s dimensions by far exceeded the safety measures of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, whose 5.7 m (19 ft) sea walls were easily topped by up to 15 m (49 ft) high waves hitting the plant. Although the safety measures met regulatory requirements, in total, three of the six reactors fully melted down, leading to a major release of radioactive material into the environment. Owing to its reform and open policy, China has achieved remarkable progress in economic development since 1979. Since 2010, China has become the world’s second largest economy in terms of GDP. Chinese economic growth, however, has not been boosted by sustainable economic development but by the dramatic expansion of energy-intensive heavy industries. In 2010, China became the world’s largest energy consumer, followed by the USA. Moreover, China has been ranked as the largest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2) due to the use of increasing amounts of fossil energy since 2007.Northern States Power Co. will perform the second and final phase of the cleanup at the Ashland Lakefront Superfund site under a settlement announced by the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency.Nearly two dozen companies will pay more than $40 million to clean up a superfund site in Rhode Island after disposing hazardous waste at the site, which environmental regulators say contaminated the soil, groundwater and surface water.

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