Antinuclear

The rush to roll out ‘second generation’ nuclear reactors

Why James Hansen is wrong on nuclear power | Links   April 8, 2010“…….With both third- and fourth-generation nuclear plants outside the time bracket, what is left for environmentalists who hanker after nuclear power? The only option for them is the one embraced by the French and Chinese governments, and now, it seems, by the Obama administration in the US: an accelerated roll-out of second-generation nuclear plants, built to standardised designs following rushed or non-existent consultation with the plants’ future neighbours.

There are no guarantees, however, that major savings of carbon emissions would result. The power-generating operations of nuclear plants emit virtually no greenhouse gases, but other parts of the nuclear cycle – uranium mining, milling and enrichment, and the construction of power plants – are fossil fuel-intensive. Estimates of the all-up carbon footprints of today’s nuclear plants are controversial, but whatever the actual emissions might be, they are considered certain to increase dramatically over time…..

The renewable alternative

The only responsible course for human society is to cut its greenhouse gas emissions through combining stringent energy economies with accelerated roll out of the renewable energy technologies which are available now. These technologies are wind, solar, hydropower, biomass and conventional geothermal. To them may be added several others that are at the demonstration-plant stage, and which concerted development could make fully practical within a few years. In this category are wave and tidal power, and “hot dry rock” geothermal….
If governments and electricity authorities around the world nonetheless swallow the nuclear industry’s lobbying, there is little chance of projections such as Desertec’s ever being realised. Typical prices cited for new nuclear plants in the US are in the region of US$3-5 billion each, and Stanford University’s Mark Jacobson puts the number of plants required for nuclear to meet all the world’s present electricity needs at 17,000. The opportunity costs of building even a fraction of these would surely smother any possibility of financing the parallel development of renewables.

In cases such as this, where spin threatens to outsell substance, influential scientists can play a big role in restoring rationality to government decision-making. Or, if they fail to inform themselves properly before pronouncing on topics outside their core expertise, they can add substantially to the problems.

Hansen is a formidable climatologist, and there is no doubting his intellectual courage. But on nuclear power, he is simply wrong. It would be a tragedy if his errors on this topic were to undo much of his contribution to the fight against global warming.

Why James Hansen is wrong on nuclear power | Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal

April 9, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, climate change - global warming, energy, politics international, uranium | antinuclear, Australia, climate change, climate change - global warming, energy, nuclear, nuclear costs, uranium