In March 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, and the damage caused the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant a Level 7 nuclear meltdown. Almost four years later, 300 tons of contaminated water pours into the Pacific Ocean every single day. 
“The Japanese authorities have been covering up the true depth of the disaster,” journalist and advocate for renewable energy Harvey Wasserman said in a 2013 interview.
Wasserman explained although the dangerous radioactive material should take about 40 years to clean up, the radioactivity will be in the water forever. This seriously affects health, and people will be harmed.
I’m not sure about you, but it makes me think twice about eating seafood from anywhere near the Pacific — especially when many restaurants import fish instead of buying locally — or eating produce possibly cultivated with contaminated water. There’s no telling how much actually has been compromised by this disaster. 
When the meltdown first happened, the media did a great job at covering the story. The hype has died down, but there is still a story to be told. 
Of course, the media’s job is to give us fresh, up-to-date information to keep us engaged. News outlets don’t go out and try to make changes in policies, but they do present information to an audience with the ability to act on it. 
People have short attention spans. We only have room for the right now. It’s the media’s job to continue to present us with pertinent information throughout a story’s entirety.
Our environment has been compromised almost indefinitely. We will continue to see the harmful global effects of this disaster for years to come. Japan, a supposedly technologically-advanced country, has yet to put a meaningful dent in their cleanup job, and this doesn’t look good for the surrounding areas. 
The North American west coast has suffered damage including contaminated fish, an epidemic of sea lion deaths on California’s coastline and animals with open sores and fur loss on Alaska’s coastline.  
As an environmental disaster with repercussions possibly even worse than Chernobyl’s, one can only wonder just how badly it will impact the earth for years to come. How is the Japanese government going about cleaning up the mess, and exactly how long will it take? Does the radioactive material have the ability to spread even farther and potentially compromise the health of Americans for generations to come?
I wish I had the answers to these questions, but I don’t. The media doesn’t do a good job at keeping us updated with stories. After the hype for a story dies down, the media moves on to the next big thing. The online community does the same thing. 
We’re all guilty of it; I know I am. But it’s important for us to know what is continually happening in the world around us.
What’s really happening with Fukushima? What ever happened to those girls who were abducted by Boko Haram? What about that drought in California? Did all those ice bucket challenges help find the cure for ALS?
The world can’t just sweep something under the rug and act like the issue is resolved. Although some people may not be able to do anything more than become hashtag activists, at least they are aware of a situation. For something to be done, you have to create a dialogue about the matter and take action for a change. If we forget about it, we’ll continue to have a problem.
Taylor Simien is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Lafayette, Louisiana. You can reach her on Twitter @TSimien_TDR.