My post on COVID-19, Tokyo Olympics and Fukushima in Estonian media
I do think that one of the most important academic skills is to know your limits. To not speak about things you are not competent in. As you know, I am not always good at it: I have a very broad spectrum of topics I work with and am therefore guaranteed to step on a slippery ground sooner or later. However, in a crises, I think it is particularly important to avoid giving personal opinions on things where confusing or wrong information can lead to reduced compliance with life-saving regulations.
So I will not be posting opinions on quarantines, testing or other aspects on COVID-19 that demand medical knowledge. But I do think I have some knowledge about Japan and Fukushima (due to my involvement in the Nuclearwaters project), which is why I took on the challenge by Estonian daily Eesti Päevaleht to write something about Fukushima, Olympics and the Corona crises. This is a piece on crises communication. The main message is that delayed and contradicting messages reduce the credibility of the authorities and it is particularly dangerous in a situation where a crises unfolds rapidly and today’s information maybe entirely wrong by tomorrow. Even if the Olympics are safe in Japan, both in respect to Fukushima’s radioactivity (mind the Olympic torch route that passes at only 2,3 kms from the Fukushima Daiichi where the melted fuel is still lying around) or COVID-19, many of us would still have difficulties in believing it, because of government’s attempts to suppress information at multiple instances.
Stack of nuclear debris in giant black bags, at stone cast from the Pacific shore ion march 11, 2016, on the 5th anniversary of the accident. The tree has dried because of the salt of the tsunami, not radioactivity.
The text is of course in Estonian but for those of you who can read it, it is available HERE. (Siin on muidugi üks faktiviga ka: 2011. aastal ei astunud reha otsa mitte Abe, vaid Naoto Kan, kuid kui Abe 2012. aastal võimu üle võttis trampis ta sellel rehal veel suurem rõõmuga kui Naoto Kan kunagi trampinud oligi. Naoto Kanist sai aga tuumaenergia vastu võitleja)