Sunday 6 March 2016

Don't Believe The (Nuclear) Hype

Occasionally, when i am spouting off regarding climate change and how we need to make greater use of renewable sources of power i am asked why i am against Nuclear Power as it does not fill the atmosphere with pollutants.
I agree, nuclear power station do not add to the carbon above our heads but it does poison the ground beneath our feet for tens of thousands of years. 
All nuclear power does is shift the problem of how us humans stupidly killing ourselves but it hasn't stopped the World's Governments from swallowing the Nuclear spin and we now have over 500 operational nuclear stations dotted around the globe and more in the pipeline and each power station will have to put its spent nuclear waste somewhere and wherever it goes it makes that part of the planet uninhabitable for 10,000 years.
The second thing to ponder is the World Nuclear Association put the amount of uranium, at current usage levels, at 80 years worth but with countries planning to build multiple new Nuclear reactors at huge expense all over the globe, that 80 years will quickly fall.
Within two or three generations at the most, we will be back in the same position searching for new forms of energy only this time we will have to contend with millions of tonnes of spent nuclear fuel under our feet that poses a serious health threat for the next 10 millenniums.
The question is then, with a limited supply and the massive financial cost of building and disposing of the fuel not to mention the environmental and safety risks involved, why is Nuclear even considered when there are other cheaper, safer and never-ending resources available?
Approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered by Oceans and as long as the Earth continues to turn, there will be waves that could be used to generate power. As long as we have a Sun heating the planet, we will have wind. Wave and wind power used in tandem would create an endless and safe supply of energy so why are we focusing on Nuclear and not plowing our money into these renewable sources instead?

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