Researcher(s):
Torreyana Carl
ENVS course(s): 220 Initiated: September 2015 Completed: Go to project site
|
This project will look at the ways that France has dealt with nuclear energy since the end of World War II. I will look at the historical development of nuclear energy in France and the social and political factors that allowed for its unique success in the country. I am coming at this project from an angle assuming that nuclear energy is a positive alternative to energy that comes from fossil fuels. Therefore, I will be looking at France’s ‘success’ with nuclear energy implementation (76% of the country’s energy comes from nuclear) as a possible model or departing point for nuclear energy programs in other parts of the world.
Though many countries have nuclear energy facilities and get at least a small percentage of their energy from nuclear, it hasn’t been implemented everywhere because the facilities are incredibly expensive to build and not everyone trusts nuclear. France, however, which had come out of the war with its head hung low, lacking industrial infrastructure and manpower and depending on American economic aid, rebuilt its identity as a “radiant” nation with the success of its nuclear facilities, which were for the most part designed and built by the French. France became known for its technological prowess with nuclear fission, and has since provided its people with cheap and non co2 emitting energy (Hecht 2009). However, recently France has begun to talk of a potential phase out of nuclear energy due to financial and technical problems, and in fact plans to reduce its use to 50% by 2025 ('"France Tilting toward Nuclear Phase-out").
My framing question for this project is: is nuclear a viable alternative source of energy that we (the world) should be using? My focus questions is: how has nuclear energy been successful/ unsuccessful in France? My methodology will include plenty of research into France’s political and social systems, its people’s attitudes towards technology, and France’s unique qualities as a geographic location as well as a political/social identity. Because I am interested in GIS I plan on making maps using data that I will discover through my research.
Citations:
Hecht, Gabrielle. 2009.Radiance of France : Nuclear Power and National Identity after World War II. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press.http://site.ebrary.com/lib/alltitles/docDetail.action?docID=10338604.
“France Tilting toward Nuclear Phase-out | Environment | DW.COM | 09.09.2015.” 2015. DW.COM. Accessed September 22.http://www.dw.com/en/france-tilting-toward-nuclear-phase-out/a-18692209.