Atoms and Ashes: A Global History of Nuclear Disasters

Atoms and Ashes: A Global History of Nuclear Disasters
Author :
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages : 289
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781324021056
ISBN-13 : 1324021055
Rating : 4/5 (055 Downloads)

Book Synopsis Atoms and Ashes: A Global History of Nuclear Disasters by : Serhii Plokhy

Download or read book Atoms and Ashes: A Global History of Nuclear Disasters written by Serhii Plokhy and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2022-05-17 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A chilling account of more than half a century of nuclear catastrophes, by the author of the “definitive” (Economist) Cold War history, Nuclear Folly. Almost 145,000 Americans fled their homes in and around Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in late March 1979, hoping to save themselves from an invisible enemy: radiation. The reactor at the nearby Three Mile Island nuclear power plant had gone into partial meltdown, and scientists feared an explosion that could spread radiation throughout the eastern United States. Thankfully, the explosion never took place—but the accident left deep scars in the American psyche, all but ending the nation’s love affair with nuclear power. In Atoms and Ashes, Serhii Plokhy recounts the dramatic history of Three Mile Island and five more accidents that that have dogged the nuclear industry in its military and civil incarnations: the disastrous fallout caused by the testing of the hydrogen bomb in the Bikini Atoll in 1954; the Kyshtym nuclear disaster in the USSR, which polluted a good part of the Urals; the Windscale fire, the worst nuclear accident in the UK’s history; back to the USSR with Chernobyl, the result of a flawed reactor design leading to the exodus of 350,000 people; and, most recently, Fukushima in Japan, triggered by an earthquake and a tsunami, a disaster on a par with Chernobyl and whose clean-up will not take place in our lifetime. Through the stories of these six terrifying incidents, Plokhy explores the risks of nuclear power, both for military and peaceful purposes, while offering a vivid account of how individuals and governments make decisions under extraordinary circumstances. Today, there are 440 nuclear reactors operating throughout the world, with nuclear power providing 10 percent of global electricity. Yet as the world seeks to reduce carbon emissions to combat climate change, the question arises: Just how safe is nuclear energy?


Atoms and Ashes: A Global History of Nuclear Disasters Related Books

Atoms and Ashes: A Global History of Nuclear Disasters
Language: en
Pages: 289
Authors: Serhii Plokhy
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2022-05-17 - Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A chilling account of more than half a century of nuclear catastrophes, by the author of the “definitive” (Economist) Cold War history, Nuclear Folly. Almos
Summary of Serhii Plokhy's Atoms and Ashes
Language: en
Pages: 45
Authors: Everest Media,
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2022-07-02T22:59:00Z - Publisher: Everest Media LLC

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Ionizing radiation, the emission or transmission of energy, comes in
Atoms and Ashes
Language: en
Pages: 0
Authors: Serhii Plokhy
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2023-08-31 - Publisher: Penguin Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY SUNDAY TIMES AND HISTORY TODAY 'Absolutely stunning. . . a formidable achievement. A six-part historical thriller that is essent
Nuclear Folly: A History of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Language: en
Pages: 426
Authors: Serhii Plokhy
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2021-04-13 - Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"The definitive history.…With his masterly book, Mr. Plokhy has sounded a warning bell." — The Economist A harrowing account of the Cuban missile crisis and
Atomic Accidents
Language: en
Pages: 664
Authors: Jim Mahaffey
Categories: Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2014-02-04 - Publisher: Open Road Media

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A “delightfully astute” and “entertaining” history of the mishaps and meltdowns that have marked the path of scientific progress (Kirkus Reviews, starre