Episode 15: After a worst-case scenario comes prevention – Lessons from Chernobyl

Forty years ago, a reactor accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant shocked the world. For hours, there was silence, even as a radioactive cloud was already making its way across Europe. To be better prepared for potential nuclear emergencies, GeoSphere Austria is now part of an international network of crisis preparedness centers. There, researchers model how radioactive substances spread and are transported in the atmosphere and what effects they may have. These analyses provide important decision-making tools to minimize risks to the population, agriculture, and ecosystems.