What is the class about?

The ideas of Frederick Soddy a century ago will be used to introduce the broad scope of the class called “Nuclear Environment”. He was the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1912. He lived from 1877 until 1956. From 1908 until 1920 his writings were a century ahead of his time about the potential of the nuclear age. This Powerpoint will introduce some of his key ideas and introduce where the world is a century later.

Frederick Soddy

The Promise of the Atomic Age “The enormous power tucked away in the atomic nucleus could “transform a desert continent, thaw the frozen poles, and make the whole world one smiling ‘Garden of Eden’.” Frederick Soddy, 1908

Lewis Strauss 1896-1974

The Promise of the Atomic Age “Our children will enjoy in their homes electrical energy too cheap to meter…It is not too much to expect that our children will know of great periodic regional famines in the world only as matters of history, will travel effortlessly over the seas and under them and through the air with a minimum of danger and at great speeds, and will experience a lifetime far longer than ours, as disease yields and man come to understand what causes him to age.” Lewis Strauss, Chairman Atomic Energy Commission, 1954

Atomic Age Reality–Hope for Atomic Energy “The laws expressing the relations between energy and matter are, however, not solely of importance in pure science. They necessarily come first in order…in the whole record of human experience, and they control in the last resort, the rise and fall of political systems, the freedom or bondage of nations, the movements of commerce and industry, the origin of wealth and poverty, and the general physical welfare of the race.” Frederick Soddy Matter and Energy, 1912

Atomic Age Reality–Dependent on Energy “The history of man is dominated by, and reflects, the amount of available energy.” Frederick Soddy Science and Life, 1920

Atomic Age Reality–Hope for Atomic Energy “Mankind has always drawn from outside sources of energy. This island was the first to harness coal and steam. But our present courses stand in the ratio of a million to one, compared with any previous sources. The release of atomic energy will change the whole structure of society.” Frederick Soddy Address to the New Europe Group , 1956

Atomic Age Reality-Nuclear Power Nuclear power will be the focus of the class after the midterm. We will examine three atomic power tragedies: Chernobyl and the Soviet nuclear fleet in the former Soviet Union, and Fukushima in Japan. We will also examine San Onofre which until 2012 provided 23% of the electricity for Southern California. The Vogtle Plant in the state of Georgia has two reactors under construction. They will cost at least $14 billion. The economics of nuclear power are a key challenge.

Atomic Age Reality-Nuclear Weapons Potential for Evil “That enormous power tucked away in the atomic nucleus can turn ‘gardens into deserts’.” The Economist March 10, 2012 This is turning Frederick Soddy’s quote on the potential of nuclear power into the threat of nuclear weapons.

Atomic Age Reality-Hiroshima and Nagasaki At Hiroshima the first atomic bomb used in anger killed between 90,000 and 166,000 Japanese on August, 6, 1945. At Nagasaki the second atomic bomb used in anger killed between 60,000 and 80,000 Japanese on August, 9, 1945.

Atomic Age Reality-Potential for Evil “The dropping of the Atomic Bomb is a very deep problem…Instead of commemorating Hiroshima…we should celebrate…man’s triumph over the problem [of transmutation], not its first misuse by politicians and military authorities.” Frederick Soddy Address to New Europe Group, 1956

Atomic Age Reality-Potential for Evil Do you believe a third atomic weapon will be used in anger in your lifetime? Yes No

Atomic Age Reality-Potential for Evil Do you believe a weapon of mass destruction, a chemical weapon, was use in Syria in August of 2013? Yes No Uncertain

Atomic Age Reality-Potential for Evil Do you believe Osama Bin Laden would have used an atomic weapon on America, the “Great Satan,” if he could have?? Yes No Not certain

Atomic Age Reality-Potential for Evil Do you believe a military commander in North Korea would launch a nuclear weapon against South Korea if ordered to do so? Yes No Not certain

Atomic Age Reality-Potential for Evil Do you believe the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria would detonate a nuclear weapon in New York Harbor if they could smuggle it into a ship? Yes No

Atomic Age Reality-Potential for Evil Do you believe a military commander in Iran would launch a nuclear weapon against Israel if ordered to do so? Yes No Not certain

Atomic Age Reality-Potential for Evil During the Cold War, do you believe both sides accumulated 50,000 nuclear weapons between them with delivery systems? Yes No Not certain

Atomic Age Reality-Potential for Evil Do you agree with John Kenneth Galbraith that “not even the most accomplished ideologue can tell the difference between the ashes of capitalism and the ashes of Communism? Yes No Have not thought about it

Atomic Age Reality-Potential for Evil Do you believe the nuclear bomb was the weapon of choice to defend their societies from destruction for both the Communists and the West during the Cold War? Yes No Have not thought about it

Environment and Nuclear Weapons This class examines the environmental consequences of nuclear weapons development by examining the Hanford and Rocky Flats in the United States and Mayak near Chelyabinsk in Russia where the Soviet Union produced much of its plutonium, and the Soviet Nuclear Fleet.