Numerous factors of globalisation are highlighted, consistent with the incident, illustrating just how planet earth, as a whole, will be impacted and therefore affecting some of globalization’s processes. Everybody on earth will be affected by this natural disaster, somehow, even if it’s only minor alterations that will go unnoticed.
Typical natural disaster issues are present, such as searching for survivors in the wreckage and housing those whose homes have been demolished since the tsunami. These problems then continued to worsen after the Nuclear Disaster at the power plant. Other globalisation issues include health and environmental problems, which are highlighted as a real issue due to the release of radioactive particles and the contaminated water in Japan, and some other issues include global trade interruptions because of the absence of power in the plants, which remain part of a worldwide supply chain. Other factors at play include culture; which is playing an enormously vital role in the way the Japanese people react to the tragedy.
Media and culture are an adjoining factor, as the media of Japan focused on different aspects of the story, confusing the world about what was really going on. The Japanese are known for sustaining unity and maintaining self-control and respect for communal support. The Japanese downplayed the disaster as much as they could when disaster struck, even when foreign newspapers printing about the seriousness of it. Conflicting reports from the media, after receiving reports from TEPCO officials and the government, made it unclear what were the exact nature of the happenings at Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant. Ambiguous language and the refusal to verify even basic facts, lead Japanese to look at outside sources of information.
A reason for the restrain of media coverage in Japan, may be explained by the fact terminology in Japan is considerably dissimilar to terminology that is English. It also may be due to politics. Japanese journalists have always been notorious for being unconvinced and suspicious about nuclear power, and this may have lead officials to merely release as little information as possible.
Japan avoids conflict, which will escape making any direct references to challenging situations. The Japanese are retorting to the disaster, by continuing going to work every day and carrying on with their lives, regardless of the nuclear emergency, earthquakes and tsunami damage.
Health and Environmental issues are the highest concern for Japan, as new information is being discovered daily. Exposure to radiation can document many health issues; it increases possibility of cancer. It may also cause mutations in DNA, which could be passed on to children born following the exposure. A large and sudden exposure to radiation exposure can be the origin to burns or radiation sickness. Symptoms for radiation sickness can consist of vomiting, faintness, loss of hair, burns to the skin and trouble functioning organs. If a very large exposure occurs; it can cause early aging, and can even cause death.
Spinach and over vegetables that are grown nearby to the power plant have been forbidden to be sold or eaten, as they have been found to contain radioactivity. Radioactive iodine and cesium were, likewise to the vegetables’, found in milk products. For this reason, other countries have banned vegetables and dairy products being imported from Japan.
Seafood were also found to contain contents of cesium and iodine, however, it was not banned. This is explained by the type of radioactivity found in the fish; cesium 137 and iodine 131 aren’t considered as hazardous to society, as it has a short half-life. A curtain was placed in the water to avert any radioactivity drifting into the ocean. Water supply has also been found to contain radioactive iodine, forcing officials to ban all children from drinking tap water.
15% of the world energy is run by nuclear power plants, and there are 440 active power plants in the world. Now many counties are reconsidering whether they should be using nuclear power plants in light of Japan’s situation. Switzerland, China and the U.S have all halted plans to introduce new power plants.
Japan have lost $309 billion since the earthquake, and are expected to recover economically in 5 years or more. Other countries have also been impacted economically, due to the international trade and investment, as Japan has a huge role in the global supply chain. Factories in Japan have been suffering from power absence, which has declined production astonishingly.
Japan’s role in the global supply team comes from their market of steel, smartphones and gas chemicals. For example, South Korea has experienced losses as they rely greatly on Japan’s production of steel for car, shipbuilding, marine and phone industries. South Korea also relies on Japan for chips designed for electronic products and components. Thailand relies on Japan for their equipment and products. Both South Korea and Thailand, for these reasons, have had to decline their production as a result of the earthquake.
Regrettably this disaster functions as the ideal case for understanding globalization. The occurrence may have been confined to just Japan, but the effect of the disaster is entirely international. Japan will still be suffering with aftereffects of the catastrophe for decades to come. Decisions such as, where can all the contaminated water and other products be deposited, how can the people and residents housed near to the power plant be reimbursed, how much will it cost to fuel and reconstruct the economy, and what conventions will need to introduced to avoid the prospects of more nuclear plant emergencies occurring in the future, still need to be considered.
The world has been able to reflect on this disaster, especially to reconsider the use of nuclear energy. It is normally seen as ‘clean energy’, related to oil & coal. Countries do have the problem of discovering substitute sources of energy to power their economies. Nuclear energy was considered an appropriate choice, despite its cost and storage difficulties. Evidently, safer systems and heavy organisation & forecasting needs to be carried out before placing any more nuclear power plants; finding the safest possible areas and building tougher support structures will make a colossal, and perhaps economy-saving, difference.
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