May 31st, 2011

Google Earth tool shows proximity of nuclear plants

Nuclear power plants are often located in highly populated areas.

That’s because they were designed to provide electricity for people. And the closer the plants are to those people, the less energy required to get that power there.

So, just how close are these plants to people? And how many people are we talking about?

Those were the questions the journal Nature and Columbia University sought to answer when they created this Google Earth tool.

The researchers and writers found that two-thirds of the world’s 211 power plants each have more than 172,000 people living within a 19-mile radius. That’s more than the population around Fukushima. Read more

Photo via Topato/Flickr

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