A Reframed Consistent Ethic of Life on Nuclear Energy

This paper critically examines the moral implications of reviving the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) of the Philippines under the lens of the Reframed Consistent Ethic of Life (RCEL). Despite the economic benefits perceived by the Philippine government, the potential risk posed by nuclear waste raises concerns about the safety and degradation of affected life forms, both human and non-human. In this relation, the paper presents the pros and cons of nuclear energy by stressing the risks and threats to life it carries. It also questions the adequacy of the government's plan for nuclear waste disposal given the geopolitical and security issues involved. With these, the paper recommends the following moral perspectives, namely, redefining our understanding of God's presence in creation, reframing our notion of the sanctity of life, and fighting against our human greed. Finally, the paper contends that we have the moral obligation to safeguard all lives, both human and non-human. This is our worship toward the God of life, our accountability to future generations, our sustaining of our only common home, and our solidarity for the common good of all that exists.