Boring new pro nuclear push in Australia – same old excessively optimistic arguments
Bro Sheffield-Brotherton
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On the current unoriginal nuke push from “lovers of science” and “believers in informed public debate”:
If they knew a lot more I would be unsurprised if they even recommended that we should go back in time and watch a vid of Phil Baxter, Ernie Titterton or even “young” Leslie Kemeny to edumacate ourselves?
It is coming up to 47 years since the Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry Commissioners wrote in their first detailed report:
What has surprised us more is a lack of objectivity in not a few of those in favour of [nuclear energy], including distinguished scientists. It seems that the subject is one very apt to arouse strong emotions, both in opponents and proponents.
There is abundant evidence before us to show that scientists, engineers and administrators involved in the business of producing nuclear energy have at times painted excessively optimistic pictures of the safety and performance, projected or past, of various aspects of nuclear production.
There are not a few scientists, including distinguished nuclear scientists, who are flatly opposed to the further development of nuclear energy, and who present facts and views opposed to those of others of equal eminence. We note that a few of the government officials who appeared before us showed reluctance in communicating matters of importance to the Commission.”
Not that any of that surprised me. The claim was made repeatedly in the 1970s [and, of course, is popular in the boring new pro-nuclear push in this country] that any negative views that people may have about brittle power were entirely due to their “ignorance” of the subject matter. It was but one reason why some people felt the importance of participating in a public debate on the subject in Australia – most concentratedly 45-50 years ago.
And the experience and evidence is beyond clear; the more that debate continued the greater was the opposition to the mining and export of Australian uranium AND to the use of inefficient, expensive, dangerous electricity generating nuclear reactors in Australia despite the reverse exhortations of the nuclear club of powerful vested interests.
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