Is nuclear power the best energy source for our future?
Until recently I lived in a tiny village in North Eastern France and my French landlord was a victim of the fall out from Chernobyl. A few years ago, he was diagnosed with leukemia, and that ended his days as a farmer. He is also far from the only person living in that part of France to have been affected and whilst I lived there I never drank tap water, having been strongly advised against it by local residents.
When the UK government gave the go-ahead, last week, for a new generation of nuclear power stations to be built, I blinked more than a few times. I just could not believe that nuclear power is being embraced as the only way forward to secure Britain's energy supplies, whilst simultaneously meeting their international commitment to reducing carbon emissions.
In the words of Green Party MP, Caroline Lucas, Prime Minister Gordon Brown is "guilty of the most staggering failure of political vision." Ms Green is not alone in her condemnation of this latest move in the race to for a greener future. Scotland's Minister of Energy, Jim Mather, has stated that these plans are short-sighted and has rejected any new reactors for Scotland.
I know that we are going to run out of renewable and sustainable energy sources at some point and I acknowledge that we have to find a solution to the mess we're making of our atmosphere. But why isn't more money being poured into solar, wave and wind power? Shouldn't there be even greater focus on reducing energy demands and increasing the efficiency of energy use?
Nuclear power is far cleaner than many other energy supplies but is it really the only way forward? In a country where democracy seems to hide sneakily under the Savile Row suits of government leaders, I am truly glad for organisations like Greenpeace, which will be taking the government to court over this crazy, autocratic decision, and hopefully bringing about successful legal action before any new nuclear sites can be built.
I know that we are going to run out of renewable and sustainable energy sources at some point and I acknowledge that we have to find a solution to the mess we're making of our atmosphere. But why isn't more money being poured into solar, wave and wind power? Shouldn't there be even greater focus on reducing energy demands and increasing the efficiency of energy use?
Nuclear power is far cleaner than many other energy supplies but is it really the only way forward? In a country where democracy seems to hide sneakily under the Savile Row suits of government leaders, I am truly glad for organisations like Greenpeace, which will be taking the government to court over this crazy, autocratic decision, and hopefully bringing about successful legal action before any new nuclear sites can be built.
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