Cardiff consultation meeting on nuclear power 'a sham', say green campaigners

A meeting taking place in Cardiff today as part of the Government's public consultation exercise on nuclear power is "a sham", according to Friends of the Earth Cymru.

The green campaign group, along with Greenpeace, WWF-UK, CND and the Green Alliance, withdrew from the Government's public consultation on nuclear power two weeks ago, unwilling to endorse a seriously flawed consultation.

Neil Crumpton, nuclear campaigner for Friends of the Earth Cymru, and an active member of the government's stakeholder group said:

"This is not a genuine public consultation about nuclear power. It is deeply flawed and it is clear that the Government has essentially made up its mind. We are perfectly happy to debate the issue of nuclear power, but we are not prepared to take part in this latest Government farce.

"Nuclear power is not a solution to climate change. A new programme would only generate around four per cent of the UK's energy consumption. It is expensive and dangerous, and would leave even more highly toxic waste for future generations to deal with. There are lots of non-nuclear alternatives that would combat climate change, maintain energy security and keep the lights on. Such solutions would also avoid calls of hypocrisy from some states which the UK does not want to see developing nuclear power. The Government should invest in these solutions and make Britain a world leader in developing a safe and sustainable low-carbon economy."

Friends of the Earth have withdrawn from the consultation for a number of reasons. These include:

• a lack of clear non-nuclear options in the information made available which would have facilitated informed public debate
  
• a failure to provide adequate information about the wider dangers of nuclear power, such as proliferation, compromised foreign policy and terrorism (including the escalating tension over nuclear power in Iran)
  
• the `consultation' is being rushed through in five months over the summer period, and the NGO stakeholder group participation process has also been rushed (the Sustainable Development Commission recommended nine months for such a complex and controversial issue)
  
• the Government appears to have already made up its mind to push ahead with a new nuclear programme (eg comments made by G Brown in the Commons, that they have decided for nuclear power - which undermines fair consultation).