Prize
Honorable Mention
Course
THRS 338
Date of Award
2021
Disciplines
Environmental Engineering | Environmental Studies
Description or Abstract
This paper will begin by outlining the eco-justice topic of nuclear power and its resulting nuclear waste, and then move on to examining and making claims about the justice (distributive, procedural, and recognition-based), evidence, and process behind the development and decommissioning of these plants. Through this, we will discover historical and present ties to racism - especially as we explore the relationship between nuclear power and the white racial frame, resulting in the objectification, oppression, and suppression of the voices of Indigenous communities and people of color throughout history and into the present moment. After addressing and reflecting on many of the harmful ways nuclear reactors affect us, our nonhuman counterparts, and our environment, we will analyze Indigenous perspectives on the current state and future of nuclear power. Finally, I will present a variety of solutions for changing an industry that does far more harm than good for the planet we call home. Nuclear power stations - active, decommissioned, and at every stage in between - are environmentally and ethically unjust because of the direct and indirect harm they inflict upon humans, animals, and our shared environment, and their regulatory policies need reformation.
Digital USD Citation
Austin, Sophia, "Exposing Nuclear Power Plants" (2021). Copley Library Undergraduate Research Awards. 8.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/library-research-award/8