Learning from Japan’s nuclear disaster

The author contends that nuclear power is uniquely dangerous and economically unviable compared to renewable energy. Using the Fukushima disaster as a catalyst, the text argues that nuclear plants are too slow and costly to effectively combat climate change, noting that private investment has shifted toward renewables. The author suggests that the global decline of nuclear power is driven by market forces rather than isolated accidents, and urges the U.S. and Japan to move toward a post-nuclear energy future.

• The Fukushima-I reactors utilize a 1960s design with minimal safety margins that likely cannot contain 90% of meltdowns; the U.S. operates 6 identical and 17 very similar plants.
• Nuclear power is an inefficient climate solution because every dollar spent on a new reactor achieves 2–10 times fewer carbon savings and is 20–40 times slower than investments in energy efficiency, cogeneration, and renewable energy.
• Renewable energy is dominating the global market; in 2010, renewables (excluding large hydro) attracted $151 billion in private investment and added over 50 billion watts of capacity, while nuclear power received zero private investment.
• Nuclear power's global decline is primarily due to market forces rather than specific accidents; as of the end of 2010, none of the 66 nuclear units under construction worldwide were free-market purchases, with 50 located in China, India, Russia, and South Korea.
• New U.S. reactors are economically unviable, costing 2–3 times more than new wind power and requiring over 100% subsidies since 2005 to attract any capital.

APA

Lovins, A. B. (2011). Learning from Japan’s nuclear disaster. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2011-02_Learning-from-Japan.pdf

Chicago

Lovins, Amory B. Learning from Japan’s nuclear disaster. RMI, 2011. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2011-02_Learning-from-Japan.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lovins |first1=Amory B. |title=Learning from Japan’s nuclear disaster |publisher=RMI |date=17 March 2011 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2011-02_Learning-from-Japan.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lovins2011learning, author = {Lovins, Amory B.}, title = {{Learning from Japan’s nuclear disaster}}, publisher = {RMI}, year = {2011}, month = mar, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_2011-02_Learning-from-Japan.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }