UK cop-out on nuclear? Green fascism arise!?

Question

With all the comforts we've gained from technology we are loathe to surrender any benefits. Slowly we must come to realise that that the holy cow of the economy is not worth saving unless we have a world in which an economy will function.

However, no democratic politician would dare to force the voters to cut back, he'd never win, (if he were honest).

Let's be honest. If petrol costed £5 per litre and everyone were given a yearly carbon ration, things would change.

The cop-out by the UK govt. to proceed with with building more nuclear power stations is clutching at straws and postponing the real problem so future generations will be poisoned.

It's merely an admission that they have neither the will nor answer.

Green fascism looks more attractive.

Answer 1

Nuclear power is safer than it used to be and very efficient in terms of oversized wind farms that it would take to produce the same output of electricity and also cheaper to build, depending on who's spin you want to believe or the actual facts.

I am in favour of nuclear power because I believe technology means we know more about nuclear power to almost certify it's safe use. I don't know what the real argument is against them because it is the only real solution for meeting power demands

Answer 2

I couldn't agree with you more (non flyer, non car owner and anti nuclear person here). We have no methods of disposing of nuclear waste cleanly and safely; all around the present nuclear power stations there are inflated levels of Cancers amongst the local population plus the Nuclear power industry  has required huge government subsidies. Modern technology allows most of the pollutants from coal fired power stations to be destroyed but of course thanks to the Thatcher government closing the coal mining industry in the 1980s, we would have to import the coal. Wave and Wind power could also supply a certain amount of electricity, but above all we should use less

of the stufff both domestically and commercially.

Answer 3

You are right that nuclear is a cop-out and you are right too about the motives of the politicians.  They are afraid to tell us the truth - that economic growth must stop and that we need to adopt simpler, less wasteful lifestyles.

The answer is to demonstrate to politicians that there are votes in sustainable policies.  We need to protest about nuclear and other unsustainable policies but more importantly we need to demonstrate our willingness to adopt simpler lifestyles by going ahead and doing so individually.  We can stop taking foreign holidays, we can start walking and pedalling, we can use public transport, we can stop buying stuff to keep up with the neighbours and we can start reusing and recycling.  The good news is that this simpler less wasteful lifestyle will improve our health and fitness and be more fun and less stressful than trying to keep up with others.

Best wishes and spread the word with optimism.

Answer 4

We want comforts and we need to continue economic growth, we should not sacrifice these things the price is too high

On top of this we need to work out how to reduce our CO2 emissions to slow global warming

The best developed reliable electricity producing method (e.g. not only works if the wind is blowing at the correct speed/ direction) is nuclear!!

Well done Gordon - hes made the correct decision!

Answer 5

The safety of nuclear fission power stations can never be guaranteed.  "Atomic power is ALMOST completely safe".  ALMOST isn't a guarantee, is it?  In any case, the problem of disposing of nuclear waste has not been resolved and this is the legacy we are stockpiling for our children.

The problem isn't radical, it's a question of tackling greed that is inherent in our society.  We can manage quite comfortably with fewer resources and energy, but we need to educate society to be more respectful of the planet and each other first.

Answer 6

the US and Royal Navies have operated nuclear reactors for a total of 6,550 years without ONE person dying of injuries from radiation.

The power generation industries in the West have operated nuclear reactors for a total of 11,856 years without one person dying from radiation accidents.

Now, how many die from oil platform explosions, mine cave ins, black lung, etc etc etc....and even without considering CO2 output........

and who are YOU going to appoint to set your carbon ration?

Answer 7

The answer by Yankee s beggars the question what about 3 mile island, Chernobyl, K19 (submarine) it can happen to anyone anytime. If you are thinking global warming, it started to speed up in the 1950s after WW2 Korea, Atom/Hydrogen bomb tests but we never hear of the carbon footprint of wars and the damage of nuclear testing, just a good old swipe at Joe public and a reason to raise taxes