Global Risks: Volcano Safety, Environmental Action, and Nuclear Waste Management

Disaster Preparedness and Environmental Challenges

Preparing for Volcanic Eruptions

We already know what a volcano and a volcanic eruption are, as well as the Volcanic Explosive Index (VEI) and the damage they can cause. But what should we do? How do we protect ourselves?

It is clear that a volcanic eruption is a phenomenon we cannot avoid, and it is difficult to predict when it will happen. Therefore, we must be prepared for what might occur, especially if we live near major volcanoes, such as Mount St. Helens or the Tambora volcano.

Apart from taking preventative measures, it is our duty to be informed.

Essential Emergency Kits

The first thing we need, whatever the disaster, is an emergency kit. We may have to survive without external help after the phenomenon, which means we will need food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity.

Since we do not know where we will be when an emergency occurs, we need to prepare kits for multiple locations:

• Home
• Work
• Vehicles

Protecting Our Global Environment

The environment is crucial for the world; if it collapses, all life—animals, plants, and everything else—will perish. Furthermore, the ozone layer is currently deteriorating.

You can contribute to environmental care in many ways:

• Reduce Energy Use: Minimize the use of air conditioning.
• Avoid Pollutants: Reduce the use of spray pollutants, such as aerosols.
• Recycle Properly: Ensure proper separation of recyclable materials.
• Reuse Items: Repurpose things you are not going to use for other functions.
• Sustainable Transportation: Reduce the use of polluting cars. When choosing a vehicle, opt for the least polluting or electric models. Use bicycles or other simpler means of transport instead of cars.

The Unsolved Problem of Nuclear Waste

Nuclear energy produces waste for which there is currently no satisfactory technical solution anywhere in the world.

The industry has used various options over the years, such as throwing waste into the sea (which is now forbidden) or placing it in geological formations. However, the truth is that at the moment, nobody knows what to do with it. Waste is currently kept in temporary locations, such as refrigeration pools or surface containers, as seen in the case of Zorita.

This temporary storage is not a solution to a problem that will persist for many generations, because the fuel remains radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years, and no one knows how to isolate it permanently. It is an insoluble environmental and economic problem.

Economic and Environmental Costs

The projected cost of managing radioactive waste in Spain up to 2070 is more than 13.9 million euros, a cost borne by citizens. In the United Kingdom, the cost has been calculated at more than 100 billion pounds.