Greens see the light on nuclear power
Climate Camper | 25.02.2009 10:01 | Climate Chaos | Ecology
The resistance of the green movement to nuclear energy has always been a puzzle. It is by far the cleanest method of dependable large-scale power generation (renewables tend to be both small-scale and unreliable) yet the Green Party has been implacably opposed to its use.
They tend to cite safety considerations - yet nuclear generation has proved astonishingly safe over the half century it has been used commercially. There have been two major incidents – at Three Mile Island in 1979 (no casualties) and Chernobyl in 1986 (a total of 56 fatalities ).
But the green lobby – or at least an important part of it – appears to have had an epiphany. Four prominent environmentalists, led by the former Cabinet minister Lord Smith of Finsbury, the chairman of the Environment Agency, have today "come out" as lobbyists for nuclear power.
They argue that a new generation of nuclear reactors is essential if Britain is to meet its carbon emission targets. Indeed, so zealous are these converts that they insist there should be no unnecessary delays imposed on this programme through lengthy planning inquiries or legal challenges.
This is an important moment. For years the debate on nuclear energy has been polarised between environmentalists and the pro-nuclear lobby and as a result has been characterized more by heat than light. This intervention should start to break down barriers and lead to a more mature appraisal of the benefits of nuclear reactors.
At the same time there is growing realization that modern reactors are infinitely more sophisticated and safe than the earlier generation and that the technology for handling nuclear waste has also progressed immeasurably.
All this is helpful for the sooner new reactors are started, the better. Not only will they cut carbon emissions but they will also lessen our dependence on foreign energy sources. Vladimir Putin's Russia has given the world the tiniest taste of what an energy war may look like and it is not pretty.
It has been a long time coming but environmentalists now see the benefits of reactors.
At the same time there is growing realization that modern reactors are infinitely more sophisticated and safe than the earlier generation and that the technology for handling nuclear waste has also progressed immeasurably.
All this is helpful for the sooner new reactors are started, the better. Not only will they cut carbon emissions but they will also lessen our dependence on foreign energy sources. Vladimir Putin's Russia has given the world the tiniest taste of what an energy war may look like and it is not pretty.
They tend to cite safety considerations - yet nuclear generation has proved astonishingly safe over the half century it has been used commercially. There have been two major incidents – at Three Mile Island in 1979 (no casualties) and Chernobyl in 1986 (a total of 56 fatalities ).
But the green lobby – or at least an important part of it – appears to have had an epiphany. Four prominent environmentalists, led by the former Cabinet minister Lord Smith of Finsbury, the chairman of the Environment Agency, have today "come out" as lobbyists for nuclear power.
They argue that a new generation of nuclear reactors is essential if Britain is to meet its carbon emission targets. Indeed, so zealous are these converts that they insist there should be no unnecessary delays imposed on this programme through lengthy planning inquiries or legal challenges.
This is an important moment. For years the debate on nuclear energy has been polarised between environmentalists and the pro-nuclear lobby and as a result has been characterized more by heat than light. This intervention should start to break down barriers and lead to a more mature appraisal of the benefits of nuclear reactors.
At the same time there is growing realization that modern reactors are infinitely more sophisticated and safe than the earlier generation and that the technology for handling nuclear waste has also progressed immeasurably.
All this is helpful for the sooner new reactors are started, the better. Not only will they cut carbon emissions but they will also lessen our dependence on foreign energy sources. Vladimir Putin's Russia has given the world the tiniest taste of what an energy war may look like and it is not pretty.
It has been a long time coming but environmentalists now see the benefits of reactors.
At the same time there is growing realization that modern reactors are infinitely more sophisticated and safe than the earlier generation and that the technology for handling nuclear waste has also progressed immeasurably.
All this is helpful for the sooner new reactors are started, the better. Not only will they cut carbon emissions but they will also lessen our dependence on foreign energy sources. Vladimir Putin's Russia has given the world the tiniest taste of what an energy war may look like and it is not pretty.
Climate Camper