What Does the Future Hold for Chernobyl?
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For those that have visited Chernobyl, the general consensus is that the silence of the deserted city is deafening. Guided tours are now being conducted through the area, and those tours may represent one of the first attempts to begin to adapt and shift life to better accommodate the ill-fated power plant.
But nature does not follow the course of action as determined by humans. Already, less than 25 years after the accident (as of March, 2008), we can see that nature has reclaimed much of “the dead zone”. Trees are growing tall, animals run free, and it becomes quite clear that the human race is not needed here.
That does not mean that humans won’t even occupy these lands again, but as any source on radioactivity will tell you, it won’t be in our generation, our children’s generation, or their children’s generation. Some estimate that it may be more than 500 years before humans can safely occupy this region again.
Redevelopment and Containment
On September 17th, 2007, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced their plan to build a new steel containment structure to replace the aging, inadequate, and hastily built sarcophagus that currently shields the damaged reactor. They plan to build a giant steel arch-shaped structure, measuring 190 meters wide and 200 meters long, and then use it to cover the existing concrete dome. They estimate it will take as much as a year to complete the design, and then another two years to have the massive structure built. It’s expected to cost 1.4 billion dollars. This update is considered long overdue, and extremely important. The rising levels of humidity inside the shelter are continuously eroding the concrete and steel that comprise the structure. If the existing sarcophagus were to collapse, it could potentially release a huge cloud of radioactive dust. There is also a deal in place with U.S. based firm Holtec to build a new storage facility within the exclusion zone to properly contain the nuclear waste produced by Chernobyl.
Several organizations have been setup to reach out to those whose lives are still being impacted by the Chernobyl accident. Chernobyl Children’s Project International is an organization that works with families and communities of Chernobyl and surrounding areas and offers support. Many children are born with physical and psychological defects, and require extra care that usually cannot be provided to them because of the extreme poverty of the area. They are the sister organization of Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children’s Project International, an Irish organization with a similar mission.
Does Chernobyl Have a Future?
As it stands now, unless new technology is discovered concerning how to better decontaminate areas that are virtually glowing with radiation, Chernobyl has no foreseeable future in modern society. Chernobyl’s only viable purpose for humans now is to serve as a warning as to the great dangers of harnessing nuclear power and the devastating potential effects of radioactivity. Despite the destruction and the hard lessons of Chernobyl, the construction and implementation of several new nuclear power plants are being lobbied for currently. The argument is that nuclear power does not contribute to global warming therefore it’s the perfect solution. Although it may not emit greenhouse gasses like traditional coal power plants, the aftermath of Chernobyl goes to show that nuclear power is far from environmentally friendly. It’s also considerably expensive. Many are concerned that using primarily nuclear power as an alternative to traditional energy will serve as a “quick fix”, and the general public will come to depend on it and be less likely to feel a responsibility to be environmentally conscious in other areas.
In the far future, Chernobyl might once again be a thriving city, possibly with a nuclear museum to teach people the tough lessons that were learned after April 26th, 1986. However, its immediate fate is grim and uncertain. What we do know is that Chernobyl will remain a top of much debate as the global warming crisis progresses and alternative energy is brought further into the limelight.
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