It may be prime time for green activists to focus on the multiple nuclear meltdowns and explosions, following the powerful earthquake in Japan last week.
Yet we should avoid impulsive finger-pointing at nuclear power generation itself. Instead, we should keep a cool head as we consider the place of nuclear power for Hong Kong and the mainland in coming years and decades.
The partial meltdown of reactor cores in the nuclear power plants in Fukushima was a result of emergency power system failures after the massive earthquake. More than 300,000 people living near the power plants have been evacuated.
Nuclear power plant operators in China have played down fears that a similar accident might happen on the mainland. The Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant in Shenzhen is the closest nuclear power station to Hong Kong. It has thick cement walls and a mechanical reserve cooling system that can withstand a massive earthquake similar to the one that struck Japan.
Does that mean we are completely safe from any potential disaster? Also, are we prepared to act quickly and effectively in case of an earthquake or nuclear accident on a similar scale?
There is no guarantee that a similar accident will not happen on the mainland. Geologists point to the fault lines running through the densely populated Pearl River Delta, which carry a heightened risk of earthquakes. That certainly gives us some reason for concern.