Favor Nuclear Energy? Read Jim Bell’s Article First
Jim Bell is a brilliant author and social observer who believes that nuclear power represent one of humankind’s most tragic errors. In this excellent article on the perils the nuclear age, he argues that, if we survive it, our descendants will wonder what we were thinking to justify leaving them nuclear power’s toxic legacy.
The anti-nuclear energy movement seems to be stuck in a time warp!
I expect whenever I read such articles to hear in the background, Pete Seegar, and ban the bomb protesters in duffle coats.
Nuclear energy production has moved on since the sixties and seventies. New technologies have developed ensuring smaller, cheaper, safer, less polutant nuclear plants employing radically improved technologies.
The anti-nuclear lobby has not moved with the times. Indeed, to do so, would remove the lobby’s most potent weapon, irrational fear. So, the same old myths about three mile island , and other inaccurate and obsolete mantra is chanted over and over again.
Is uranium a finite resource? Yes! Is nuclear waste disposal a problem? Absolutely! Is nuclear waste disposal dangerous and insoluble? No! Are properly built and operated neclear power plantsafe? Yes!
The simple truth is that in an increasingly energy hungry world, there is no longer room for selfish idealism.
We do not have the luxury of choice. It’s Nuclear or Coal. Biomass,Solar,etc.. are interesting promising new technologies and may one day prove valuable. In the meantime the PRC ,India, and other developing nations, are have energy hungry consumer industries to cater for a burgeoning middle class.
While each of these nations is attempting to effect some investment in sustainable energy, they are all racing ahead with coal-fired power on an unprecedented scale.
Only nuclear has the capacity to replace coal, and this is essential if the planet is to reduce carbon emissions.
The Biosphere doesn’t care about fairness or morality, just simple chemistry!