Nuclear
In 2006, following the lead of the US government, the Australian federal government undertook an almighty push to convince the public that nuclear power is a "clean" energy source and the primary solution for reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. As the Australian Conservation Foundation says, if nuclear is the answer, then the question must be pretty stupid.
The major environmental concerns regarding nuclear energy include the lack of storage and disposal options for radioactive waste, the threat to the environment from malfunctions and waste transportation, and the damage wrought by uranium mining. This is not to mention the fact that it is the aboriginal people of this country who bare the brunt of these decisions that often involve sacred sites, traditional and inhabited land. The uranium industry in Australia has a long history of disregarding Indigenous rights, from Jabiluka to the latest waste dump proposals in the Northern Territory.
That's just the tip of the ice burg. If you really want to consider the pros and cons of a nuclear Australia, there is the issue of economic viability, availability of uranium deposits, and the impact nuclear power would in fact have on reducing the impact of climate change. Makes you wonder why they don't just use cheaper, readily available renewable energies such as wind and solar energy.
Energy Science is an independent non-governmental organisation established as a collaboration of concerned scientists, engineers and policy experts to present information to people on the issue of sustainable energy. According to Energy Science:
- Nuclear power is at best a very partial, problematic and unnecessary response to climate change.
- A doubling of nuclear power would reduce global greenhouse emissions by about 5%, a much larger nuclear expansion program would pose enormous proliferation and security risks, and it would run up against the problem of limited known conventional uranium reserves.
- The nuclear industry comes with the serious hazards of civil nuclear programs - the repeatedly demonstrated contribution of civil nuclear programs to weapons proliferation, intractable waste management problems, and the risk of serious accidents.
- There is an availability of a plethora of clean energy options - renewable energy sources plus energy efficiency - which, combined, can meet energy demand and sharply reduce greenhouse emissions.
- Compared to most renewable energy sources and to energy efficiency measures, nuclear power produces more greenhouse emissions per unit energy produced or saved, in addition to its legacy of nuclear waste and the weapons proliferation risks.
In 2006, in response to the reignition of the nuclear "debate" and opening up of Australia's uranium industry, Friends of the Earth published a report outlining the history of the Australian uranium mining industry and its impact on the health of individuals exposed to the industry, Indigenous sovereignty, human rights and the environment.
