Take a Nuke

Protest vs BNPP evokes EDSA scenes

I do not consider myself an environmentalist, though I am conscious about the pernicious effects of wanton disregard for the environment. For instance, I dispose waste properly and recycle as much as possible. I also believe Al Gore’s theory of global warming. I do because it’s both logical and practical to believe in these things and act on them.

However, I do not agree that just because a thing has a potential to destroy the environment, it should be totally banned even if there is a greater chance that it will give us considerable benefit. The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant – and all its controversy – is one fine example. The government loaned an enormous amount to build the plant that we are still paying for it up to now. It has been mothballed for the longest time and every attempt to even just contemplate turning its doorknob, so to speak, will incite fumes of protest. It being a legacy of a hated president and its construction alleged to be riddled with corruption should not lead us to conclude that this project is a bane and a danger to the environment.

Safety concerns are at the core of many arguments against the plant’s operation. That it is a threat to health and life per se sends fear among people, especially those within its vicinity. Images of the Chernobyl disaster blanket their minds. While these are extremely valid points, these are foreseeable harms that can be avoided with strict and proper cautionary measures.

There are many successful nuclear power plant operations around the world. Ours should not be a story of failed attempt and what could or might have been. A nuclear plant is an alternative source of energy that can help not only in augmenting our power supply, but also in preserving our natural resources. And though it is not the only choice, it can be the most practical solution to our energy problems.

We already have it so let us not waste it.