Archinect - News

A concrete dome on the Marshall Islands containing America's nuclear waste is collapsing

2019-11-13T13:01:00-05:00

Between 1946 and 1958, the United States detonated 67 nuclear bombs on, in and above the Marshall Islands — vaporizing whole islands, carving craters into its shallow lagoons and exiling hundreds of people from their homes. [...] It then deposited the atoll’s most lethal debris and soil into the dome. Now the concrete coffin, which locals call “the Tomb,” is at risk of collapsing from rising seas and other effects of climate change.

A stunning report from The Los Angeles Times highlights America's deteriorating nuclear legacy on the Marshall Islands, where a vast concrete dome built to contain radioactive soil imported regionally and from Nevada is beginning to fail amid rising sea levels.

According to the report, sea levels are rising .3 inches per year in the Pacific ocean, more than twice the pace of sea level rise taking place in other parts of the world. The rising tides are exposing the dome to corrosive sea water and could create the conditions for a large scale nuclear waste spill with global ramifications.

Surge in bomb shelter sales as tensions with North Korea increase

2017-08-11T15:24:00-04:00

As tensions with North Korea flare in light of the news that they may have successfully produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles, everyone is scrambling to determine how seriously to take them.

Back in May, when North Korea began testing nuclear weapons with growing sophistication, Japan—vulnerable due to its proximity to North Korea and the fact that it hosts a number of U.S. military bases—saw a huge uptick in price inquiries on private nuclear shelters.

Tropical island-themed nuclear shelter in Japan

Now that the U.S. President has threatened the communist country "with fire and fury like the world has never seen" and Kim Jong-Un has shot back with threats of an attack on Guam, we are seeing a similar increase as those in areas like Guam or California that are at high-risk of being effected in the event of an attack look into extreme safety measures.

Bomb shelter on display, by Atlas Survival Shelters

In California, one company, Atlas Survival Shel...

Take a look at the tropical island-themed nuclear shelters popping up in Japan

2017-05-01T19:09:00-04:00

In Japan, small companies offering custom-built underground nuclear shelters claim a boost in sales in recent weeks. Oribe Seiki Seisakusho, based in Kobe, western Japan, told Reuters it typically receive six shelter-building orders a year, but has received eight orders in April alone. Another company, Earth Shift, says it has received 10 times more inquiries for quotes this year.

North Korea has been busy launching missiles and testing nuclear weapons the past few weeks—and their flexing of power on the international stage has many worried. As fear of global conflict increases, their neighbor, Japan, is left particularly vulnerable due to its proximity to North Korea and its hosting of numerous U.S. military bases. Fear of a strike in the country is growing. Discussion of a possible missile strike and what to do have dominated TV talk shows and media in Japan in recent weeks as interest in regional television has spiked. Tokyo has encouraged local governments to carry out evacuation drills and Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe is currently in Moscow discussing the global response with Putin.

The growing threat of a nuclear attack has lead to a huge uptick in private nuclear shelters. One company, Oribe Seiki Seisakusho, which usually sells about six bunkers a year, has received eight orders in April alone. Earth Shift, another company specializing in fallou...

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry nominated as Secretary of U.S. Department of Energy

2016-12-15T12:29:00-05:00

President-elect Donald Trump has added another name to his cabinet: former Texas Governor Rick Perry will head the U.S. Department of Energy. The announcement has drawn mixed responses. The oil and gas industry, on the one hand, welcomed the fossil fuel industry-friendly climate change skeptic, and immediately requested that he support increases in natural gas exports. On the other hand, environmentalists and others concerned with accelerating global warming found the choice worrisome, to say the least. A few years ago, Perry proposed abolishing the department altogether, although he also forgot its name once during a debate in a notorious gaffe.

The nomination is the latest addition of an oil industry-friendly climate change skeptic to the cabinet, following the selection of Exxon Mobil Corp’s CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a major opponent of climate change mitigation efforts, as head of the EPA.

Besides managing energy-related re...

Amid historic nuclear negotiations, Tehran's urbanism is shifting

2015-05-11T13:58:00-04:00

If ongoing discussions with the United States and others prove successful, sanctions affecting the Iranian economy will likely be lifted, exposing the country to a forceful wave of globalization. But the shift from isolation to inclusion has already begun to transform Tehran. [...] It’s a city that, at this moment, is intensely influenced by international relations, shaping itself into a burgeoning urban hub.