Lessons from Japan

We can have nothing but admiration for the way that the Japanese are dealing with their terrible situation. It was quite touching to see the calmness when a small ball of rice was being doled out to be shared between two. You don't see that attitude when the images are shown of the cars and buildings as they sail down roads. Human tragedy is much more significant than the loss of any property.

The latest heroes are those who are working to save the Fukushima nuclear plant. Their story is a little like those of the fire officers who ran into the World Trade Centre, but then slow the whole process down. The Japanese who are working to save the power station know exactly what they are doing but their story will go on for days, weeks and months.

According to John Ritch from the World Nuclear Association on last night's Newsnight, renewable energy has two major drawbacks. It is often opposed locally and they produce electricity intermittently but isn't it time to put aside our nimbyism and maybe we should accept an intermittent supply. This sounds rather appealing when compared to the stories coming out of Japan.

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