Nuclear Nonsense February 3, 2009

I remember growing up in Australia (a huge uranium pit), and being exposed to the sometimes hostile debate about the benefits and disadvantages or dangers of nuclear power.

I remember thinking at the time, and now even more so, the only real issue is what happens to the waste after the uranium has been extracted. Doesn´t it remain radio-active for thousands of years ? and basically means where-ever it is dumped/stored (often government financed places in under-developed nations, desperate for money, regardless of the price) becomes a no go zone for the next 5 thousand years.

So given the debate among our politoco´s and business leaders, about the need for more nuclear energy, they state it is a clean energy!! (obviously only factoring in the input processes in that assessment, not the output), and that we need to ramp up the implementation of more nuclear power plants, to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels; I wonder have we forgotten the consequences of nuclear power , the waste?

Are vested interests within the business community and governments controlling the debate and the final decisions or has the latest economic crisis blinded us all to the long term dire consequences with nuclear power. My opinion is that its allot of the first and some of the second…..

In terms of the global warming debate and the relevance of this, when as a society did we stop thinking about future generations and become so short sighted. So selfish!

There is a mountain of evidence suggesting that nuclear power is not the most cost effective energy producing alternative we have available and that the long-term costs are not being included in financial evaluations when it comes to this particular energy source.

There is allot of nonsense in the world at the moment, so say there is allot of nonsense when it comes to the debate on climate change. It is my humble opinion that one of the biggest pieces of decision making NONSENSE when it comes to alternative energy is the nuclear NONSENSE we are currently debating.

Take some time out of your busy schedule and write your local head honcho, whoever that maybe, about this issue. Lets be a little less selfish, a little less short sighted and think about how the decisions of today have an impact for tomorrow.

Stay Green!

Why we don´t like alternative energy? January 27, 2009

Given all the latest news and evidence we have been presented with regarding climate change and the push to use less fossil fuels etc, I have been wondering why we (as a community/society) have been so slow to take up the challenge or “cause” and use more energy efficient sources of power in our homes.

I mean, there are all sorts of cash-backs, discounts, incentives, rebates, you name it, available to us if we install energy saving devices in our homes. Whether that be solar panels, slow-flow shower heads, insulation, etc there is even a discount available on a mortgage if we start building a “green house” (about 0.6%).
Anyway, so my question is why more people have not began to make the change to clean energy?
It cannot be money, as the economics are plain to grasp in terms of energy bills versus costs etc. So what is it?

Is it because our neighbours don’t have solar panels for instance so we don’t want to seem naive or different? (Keeping up with the Jones´ but in reverse?)

In California it has been shown that once a street (house) begins with energy saving devices, a “green” bent, than it quickly begins to spread from street to street and suburb to suburb. The word gets out……….

So is it just that we are afraid of being laughed at? Or are we really non-believers about global warming after all?
If it’s not economic, what is it that stops us from doing something about our fossil fuel dependence?

I hope its not sheer indolence….