Policy & Politics Blog
16 March 2011
As nuclear crisis deepens - a safer energy future is possible
I've just returned home this evening (Weds) after attending a presentation by consultancy Ecofys on a new report that shows how the world could supply virtually all its energy needs with renewable power by 2050. Ecofys is one of the most respected environmental consultancies in Europe working for governments, businesses and NGOs. It was a very timely reminder that we can wean ourselves of fossil fuels and cut carbon pollution without the need for nuclear power.
The back-drop to this is of course the news that the nuclear crisis in Japan is getting worse not better.
The debate on nuclear power is now raging across the globe. Proponents of nuclear power claim Japan is a special case with nuclear plants in areas prone to earthquakes which isn't the case in the UK and in any case our nuclear plants are well regulated.
Environmental writer George Monbiot, no lover of nuclear power, has said that it would be a tragedy if the response to the Japanese nuclear accident was to build more coal-fired power plants. David Cameron has said the nuclear power should be part of the UK energy mix in the future.
At Friends of the Earth we believe that the sensible response to this nuclear crisis - and the oil crisis playing out in the middle east - should be rapidly reducing our energy use through energy efficiency in our homes, businesses and industries at the same as building up our production of renewable energy. In the UK we could, if we tried, phase out coal by 2025 and nuclear power soon after. We agree with George Monbiot - it would be a nightmare scenario to replace nuclear with coal-fired power stations. We've launched a petition for a safer energy today.
The debate of nuclear will rage-on over coming days, weeks and months. Currently the most pressing priority is to support the efforts to help the Japanese people through the devastating impact of the tsunami. Friends of the Earth Japan is helping channel money to the relief effort on the ground. Please donate here.
Posted by Mike Childs | 16 Mar 2011 | Energy
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