A girl who has been isolated at a makeshift facility to screen, cleanse and isolate people with high radiation levels, looks at her dog through a window in Nihonmatsu, northern Japan, March 14, 2011, after a massive earthquake and tsunami that are feared to have killed more than 10,000 people.[Xinhua/Reuters Photo]

The massive 9.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated Japan's east coast on March 11 also caused explosions and nuclear leakage from the No.1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture. It is too early to say the extent of damage, but the accident has clearly alerted the world to the threats of the growing nuclear power industry and forced China to reevaluate the planning of its nuclear power development.

First, the planning review must be very strict. Selection of the site must take into consideration environmental factors and potential geographic disaster points. Secondly, the highest standards must be applied in the construction, operation and management of the plant. Thirdly, emergency response mechanisms need to be in place with crisis management teams ready to respond at a moment's notice. Finally, more high-end management talent is needed in nuclear power administration due to its high cost and the long cycle of investment.

At present, China's priority is how to deal with the nuclear waste. Nuclear power can relieve energy strain, promote economic development and cut carbon emissions, but we need to take into account all the potential dangers and negative factors and do everything possible to prevent them from occurring.

There are two methods for nuclear waste processing. The first is a 10,000-meter burial. Yet radioactive elements' half-life is long – sometimes up to 1 million years. When significant geographic disasters occur, such as earthquakes, the impact of the radioactive elements is extremely difficult to estimate and control. Meanwhile, the extensive radioactive half-life can pollute the environment.

The second method is to reprocess the waste. This is the less common choice because of its high expense and the risk of proliferation. However, it should be the method of nuclear waste processing in China, though currently there is no mature and safe technology for it.

The author is Deputy Director-General of Institute of Policy and Management of the China Academy of Sciences.

(This article was first published in Chinese and translated by Li Shen.)

?Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.