Nature's revenge on human hubris

Nations should learn the lessons of Japan's triple crisis, change their security concepts and enhance cooperation

Japan's crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, whose severity rating was raised from level 5 to 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale on Tuesday, will arguably last a long time and have a far-reaching impact.

The disaster is evolving into a global incident because it concerns the fate of the 441 nuclear power reactors now in operation around the world, many of which date from the 1970s and 1980s, with an average lifespan of about 35 years.