Ken,
I do not find it ludicrous at all. 25 to 50% saving
of
energy nullifies the need to build nuclear power
stations. The potential saving of energy, without
noticeable effect on living standard is 60 to 70%,
that is the size of the energy waste.
Considering the 5 to 10 years it take to build a
nuclear power station, a program for energy saving
will always outperform the nuclear alternative in
time, return of investment and job creation. The
problem is that it would add less to GDP, in the way
we now is measuring GDP. This is one example
of the flaws with including energy in GDP.
Regarding health risks, energy efficiency will make
true improvements, compared to a shifting of
problems
with nuclear.
It is a question of investment priorities and it
should
be a moratorium on investment in nuclear, until the
investment opportunities in energy efficiency and
renewable are no longer available.
Hakan
At 04:35 PM 6/10/2005, you wrote:
>The argument that coal is used in the production of
>uranium therefore nuclear power contributes to
green
>house gases is a bit ludicrous. If we wanted to
>eliminate the use of coal we would essentially have
to
>do nothing at all. The automobile engine that you
are
>running your biodiesel in was manufactured using
large
>amounts of coal to produce the steel and to power
all
>the assembly plants. If you are using a thermometer
to
>check you biodiesel batch or turning on a light to
see
>it better you are using coal. Myself I have vowed
to
>stop my bathroom use since the water used to flush
the
>toilet was pumped to my house using electricity
that
>was generated by coal.
>Ken
>
> > Nuclear Power Isn't Clean; It's Dangerous -
and
> > Uneconomic
> >
> > By Dr. Helen Caldicott
> >
> > Among the many departures from the truth
by
> > opponents of the Kyoto protocol, one of the most
> > invidious is that nuclear power is "clean" and,
> > therefore, the answer to global warming.
> > However, the cleanliness of nuclear power is
> > nonsense. Not only does it contaminate the
planet
> > with long-lived radioactive waste, it
significantly
> > contributes to global warming.While it is
claimed
> > that there is little or no fossil fuel used in
> > producing nuclear power, the reality is that
> > enormous quantities of fossil fuel are used to
mine,
> > mill and enrich the uranium needed to fuel a
> > nuclear power plant, as well as to construct
the
> > enormous concrete reactor itself. Indeed, a
nuclear
> > power plant must operate for 18 years before
> > producing one net calorie of energy. (During the
> > 1970s the United States deployed seven
> > 1,000-megawatt coal-fired plants to enrich its
> > uranium, and it is still using coal to enrich
much
> > of the world's uranium.) So, to recoup the
> > equivalent of the amount of fossil fuel used in
> > preparation and construction before the first
switch
> > is thrown to initiate nuclear fission, the plant
> > must operate for almost two decades.
> > But that is not the end of fossil fuel use
because
> > disassembling nuclear plants at the end of their
30-
> > to 40-year operating life will require yet more
vast
> > quantities of energy. Taking apart, piece by
> > radioactive piece, a nuclear reactor and its
> > surrounding infrastructure is a massive
operation:
> > Imagine, for example, the amount of petrol,
diesel,
> > and electricity that would be used if the Sydney
> > Opera House were to be dismantled. That's the
scale
> > we're talking about. And that is not the end of
> > fossil use because much will also be required
for
> > the final transport and longterm storage of
nuclear
> > waste generated by every reactor.
> > From a medical perspective, nuclear waste
> > threatens global health. The toxicity of many
> > elements in this radioactive mess is long-lived.
> > Strontium 90, for example, is tasteless,
odorless,
> > and invisible and remains radioactive for 600
years.
> > Concentrating in the food chain, it emulates the
> > mineral calcium. Contaminated milk enters the
body,
> > where strontium 90 concentrates in bones and
> > lactating breasts later to cause bone cancer,
> > leukemia, and breast cancer. Babies and children
are
> > 10 to 20 times more susceptible to the
carcinogenic
> > effects of radiation than
> > adults.
> > Plutonium, the most significant element in
nuclear
> > waste, is so carcinogenic that hypothetically
half a
> > kilo evenly distributed could cause cancer in
> > everyone on Earth. Lasting for half a million
years,
> > it enters the body through the lungs where it is
> > known to cause cancer. It mimics iron in the
body,
> > migrating to bones, where it can induce bone
cancer
> > or leukemia, and to the liver, where it can
> > cause primary liver cancer. It crosses the
placenta
> > into the embryo and, like the drug thalidomide,
> > causes gross birth deformities. Finally,
plutonium
> > has a predilection for the testicles, where it
> > induces genetic mutations in the sperm of humans
and
> > other animals that are passed on from generation
to
> > generation.
> > Significantly, five kilos of plutonium is fuel
for
> > a nuclear weapon. Thus far, nuclear power has
> > generated about 1,139 tons of plutonium. So,
nuclear
> > power adds to global warming, increases the
burden
> > of radioactive materials in the ecosphere and
> > threatens to contribute to nuclear
proliferation. No
> > doubt the Australian government is keen to
assist
> > the uranium industry, but the immorality of its
> > position is unforgivable.
> >
> > NOTE: Dr. Helen Caldicott is founding
president of
> > Physicians for Social Responsibility.
> >
> >
> > Regards,
> > Bob.>
>_______________________________________________
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> > Biofuel@sustainablelists.org
> >
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> >
> > Biofuel at Journey to Forever:
> > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html
> >
> > Search the full Biofuel list archives (46,000
> > messages):
> > http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
> >
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> > http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuels-biz/
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