A Fukushima-type incident could be more serious in developing
countries with low disaster management capabilities Nuclear
power is no magic solution, argues Pervez Hoodbhoy — it's not
safe, or cheap, and it leads to weapons programmes. A string of
energy-starved developing countries have looked at nuclear power
as the magic solution. No oil, no gas, no coal needed – it's a
fuel with zero air pollution or carbon dioxide emissions. High-
tech and prestigious, it was seen as relatively safe. But then
Fukushima came along. The disaster's global psychological impact
exceeded Chernobyl's, and left a world that's now unsure if
nuclear electricity is the answer. The fire that followed the
failure of emergency generators at the Daiichi nuclear complex
raised the terrifying prospect of radiation leaking and
spreading. The core of the Unit 1 reactor melted, and spent
nuclear fuel, stored under pools of water, sprang to life as
cooling pumps stopped. Fukushima's nuclear reactors had been
built to withstand the worst, incl