No or yes to Nuclear?

Who thinks nuclear is a bad idea?

Lots of groups think nuclear is a bad idea, particularly environmental groups. Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the Green Party all argue that nuclear power should not be part of the UK's and/or the World's energy mix.

Greenpeace argue that nuclear power is expensive, dangerous and that it takes money away from the development of renewable energy sources.

The Greenpeace campaign ship, 'Rainbow Warrior II'

Source: By Salvatore Barbera from Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Rainbow Warrior On The Bosphorus) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Friends of the Earth say much the same. They also point out that mining and transporting uranium uses a lot of energy, and this means nuclear energy is not 'carbon neutral' (i.e. it does still add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere). Although they considered changing their position and supporting some nuclear power, because they were so concerned about reducing greenhouse gases, the eventually decided to remain opposed to nuclear power completely.

The Green Party also argues against nuclear. Caroline Lucas, a Green Party MP said,

"If we were to make a serious investment in energy efficiency, properly capitalise a Green Investment Bank that would be allowed to lend immediately, put billions into, for example, a street-by-street insulation programme, or really invest in renewables, we wouldn't need nuclear. "

And who supports it?

Mark Lynas is a journalist and environmental campaigner who believes that nuclear power should be used if it will help reduce greenhouse gases. He has written a lot about global warming and believes that reducing the risk of future global warming should be the focus of developing energy sources in future. You can here him debate his ideas with Jenny Jones, leader of the Green Party, here.

The UK government support using nuclear power in our future energy mix. They believe it will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions AND that it will make energy cheaper. Although they think renewables should be the source of much of our energy, they do not think that we will be able to develop them quickly enough for them to replace fossil fuels and nuclear completely. They also believe it will create jobs in the nuclear industry for UK workers. They have recently given permission for EDF, an energy company, to build a new nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point, in Somerset.

Artists impression of the proposed nuclear plant at Hinkley Point

Source: askjaenergy.org

To add to this, groups that lobby for and support the nuclear industry, such as the Canadian Nuclear Association, argue that even with renewables fully developed, there would still be the need for back up energy and that nuclear is the best option for this. 

 

So, what to think?

 

As you can see, the arguments for and against nuclear power are complex. Deciding on whether nuclear should be part of our future energy mix depends on whether you think renewables can be developed quickly enough, whether they can be used everywhere and on how you view the risks associated with nuclear power. Even the experts disagree, but you should use all you have found out to think about where you stand.