Nuclear Power Debate
Reknown Australian scientist (in biology and paleontology) Tim Flannery has spent the last few years researching alternative energy sources, and writing his book on climate, The Weathermakers. I haven't read any reviews of his popular science book, but I do know it is suggested reading for one of the meteorology subjects at the Uni of Melbourne. Regardless, Flannery has come out fully supporting nuclear power much to the chagrin of others:
Greens Senator Bob Brown has rejected scientist Tim Flannery's call for nuclear power to be used to combat climate change.
In a weekend newspaper article Dr Flannery says nuclear power is a clean source of energy.
But Senator Brown says nuclear power should not replace fossil fuels.
"Energy efficiency and solar power and new energy, renewable modes are the answer and that's where we've got to go," he said.
If it's possible (or rather, feasible) to hamper global warming by using alternative energy, by all means we should adopt alternative energy means. But the sad reality of is that alternative energy means such as wind and solar do not guarantee to give sustainable base-power to industries. It's all good running your house on solar power (you can actually make some money if you generate too much), but your average aluminium smelter needs something a little more reliable.
The linked article also mentions anti-nuclear campaigner and pediatrician, Dr Helen Caldicott, who the article claims is a Nobel Prize winner. Slightly misleading since it was an organisation she worked for that was awarded the Nobel Prize (for the admirable cause of prevention of nuclear war), and not her. Wiki says the follwoing on the Caldicott:
Caldicott claimed that the Hershey Foods Corporation produced chocolate carrying strontium 90 because of the proximity of the Three Mile Island disaster to Hershey's Pennsylvania factory. According to Caldicott, strontium 90 that fell on the Pennsylvania grass found its way into the milk of the local dairy cows. Caldicott provided no evidence to support her claim and specialists in the field consider it an absurd, irresponsible claim. According to EPA reports, Strontium 90 was not among the radionuclides emitted by Three Mile Island as only gases were emitted.
What a highly reliable "expert" she is. Regardless, the power generation, and subsequent curtailing of global warming, are rather complex issues. I personally think it's quite feasible to create undeniably safe nuclear power-stations - we could always ask the French for advice since they have 79% nuclear power. Whether we should is another question. Still, it does not mean that fear-mongers like Caldictott can so blatantly mislead the public.
Greens Senator Bob Brown has rejected scientist Tim Flannery's call for nuclear power to be used to combat climate change.
In a weekend newspaper article Dr Flannery says nuclear power is a clean source of energy.
But Senator Brown says nuclear power should not replace fossil fuels.
"Energy efficiency and solar power and new energy, renewable modes are the answer and that's where we've got to go," he said.
If it's possible (or rather, feasible) to hamper global warming by using alternative energy, by all means we should adopt alternative energy means. But the sad reality of is that alternative energy means such as wind and solar do not guarantee to give sustainable base-power to industries. It's all good running your house on solar power (you can actually make some money if you generate too much), but your average aluminium smelter needs something a little more reliable.
The linked article also mentions anti-nuclear campaigner and pediatrician, Dr Helen Caldicott, who the article claims is a Nobel Prize winner. Slightly misleading since it was an organisation she worked for that was awarded the Nobel Prize (for the admirable cause of prevention of nuclear war), and not her. Wiki says the follwoing on the Caldicott:
Caldicott claimed that the Hershey Foods Corporation produced chocolate carrying strontium 90 because of the proximity of the Three Mile Island disaster to Hershey's Pennsylvania factory. According to Caldicott, strontium 90 that fell on the Pennsylvania grass found its way into the milk of the local dairy cows. Caldicott provided no evidence to support her claim and specialists in the field consider it an absurd, irresponsible claim. According to EPA reports, Strontium 90 was not among the radionuclides emitted by Three Mile Island as only gases were emitted.
What a highly reliable "expert" she is. Regardless, the power generation, and subsequent curtailing of global warming, are rather complex issues. I personally think it's quite feasible to create undeniably safe nuclear power-stations - we could always ask the French for advice since they have 79% nuclear power. Whether we should is another question. Still, it does not mean that fear-mongers like Caldictott can so blatantly mislead the public.
posted by Engels at 9:55 am
5 Comments:
Surely Nuclear power is much safer these days compared to when nuclear power first came about? I don't see much of a problem with it, I guess the removal of the nuclear waste would be an issue, but hell, we've got heaps of unused land don't we??? (Waits for some hippie to smack me)
Hippies love bringing up Chernobyl. It's like me comparing flying to the days of Kingford Smith.
Regardless, it's either coal power (and its pollution) or nuclear power. Waste is a problem, but Australia does have vast amounts of unused land. More people die from coal power (including mining) than nuclear.
Hippies, if they had their way, would remove the reseach reactor in Sydney which supplies Australia (and the nuclear-free NZ) with radio-active medicines.
Still, I like to press having solar panels on your roof (even just for water like we did) is a good idea.
I'm looking forward to these new electric cars. But how will the electicity be made?
We need some of those amazing giant wind turbines they have off the coast of Holland.
Coastline is definitely not something we are lacking
Brings up the wind powered station they wanted to build somewhere in Vic I think. Think you wrote about it in the past Engels. But the government minister didn't let it go because it could endanger some bird, even though his own department and I believe all the hippies were for the wind power plant! I believe I heard in the news the other day the minister is going to look into it again! (Is Tony Abbott the minister I'm thinking of??)
Yeah, I did blog about it, Martini. There was another article last week saying that minister was a corrupt fool or something. Didn't bother reading it.
Tony Abbot is the minister of health and he's staunchly against abortion.
Western Australia has windmills. I guess once you build a windmill, you only make power of the electricity, and not the coal or uranium mining. BHP and Rio Tinto wouldn't be fans of that.
I hear that some Spaniards fight windmills because they think They Might Be Giants...
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