Nuclear power is not the way to help Earth

James E. Hansen, director of the Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions Program at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, is delusional if he seriously believes nuclear power is “among the safest forms of energy,” as he writes in his commentary, “Nuclear power must be part of New York’s energy solution,” April 11. Surely he has heard of Chernobyl, Fukushima, the Fermi station in Michigan, and earthquakes.

Two of the reactors near Oswego have the same defective design as three that melted down at Fukushima. A massive, sustained radiation release from any of the many nuclear stations on the U.S. and Canadian shores of Lake Ontario could begin reaching the Capital Region in hours. Such an incident

would coat, and re-coat, many municipalities with long-lasting, invisible poisons, getting into air, water, food and us, and forcing millions to suddenly and quickly flee, probably never to return. Millions of jobs would be wiped out. Why take such risks?

Chernobyl has already killed thousands of people in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and elsewhere, ruins the lives of millions more and could kill thousands more. The Russian war in Ukraine has awakened many Europeans to nuclear dangers. Read Kate Brown’s 2019 book, “Manual For Survival: A Chernobyl Guide To The Future” to learn about nuclear hazards.

Nuclear is the only industry that can destroy every other industry. If it is so safe, why can none of us purchase insurance to protect our properties from nuclear radiation hazards? High-level radioactive

waste (used reactor fuel) remains extremely lethal for tens of thousands of years.

As we search for alternatives to fossil fuels, we should not ignore that nuclear power and weapons have proven track records as the most dangerous industry humans have ever developed.

Tom Ellis

Albany