NBER Working Paper No. 26395
Issued in October 2019
This paper provides a large scale, empirical evaluation of unintended
effects from invoking the precautionary principle after the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear accident. After the accident, all nuclear power stations
ceased operation and nuclear power was replaced by fossil fuels,
causing an exogenous increase in electricity prices. This increase led
to a reduction in energy consumption, which caused an increase in
mortality during very cold temperatures. We estimate that the increase
in mortality from higher electricity prices outnumbers the mortality
from the accident itself, suggesting the decision to cease nuclear
production has contributed to more deaths than the accident itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.