Yay or Nay: Is nuclear is the way forward?
According to our government, nuclear power is the way forward for our future energy requirements. The supporters of nuclear power say it is far more environmentally friendly than many other forms of electricity generating methods. Nuclear power is cleaner, produces less carbon emissions and will eliminate our need to import energy, so the theory goes.
But Greenpeace have dismissed the green arguments for nuclear power as "like taking up smoking to lose weight". Although the government has promised to invest in renewable energy, this would not be sufficient to rule out the nuclear part of the equation. Do you think that nuclear energy has any part to play in a green Britain, or is the government simply ignoring alternatives that are just as effective?
[Via The Guardian]
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There is a strong argument for introducing more renewable energy into the UK. Unfortunately some of these renewable energy projects will damage the local landscape and its wildlife. There is a big push by our government, notably by The Environment Secretary, David Miliband, Welsh Secretary Peter Hain and Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling to make Britain the first country to derive most of its energy from the tides. One such project being promoted at the moment is to build a 10 mile barrage across the Severn estuary. This £14 billion project is being pushed a consortium of six companies called the Severn Tidal Power Group. It all sounds good, getting electricity from the tides, no carbon emissions, but…
The FA cup final at the new Wembley stadium is estimated to have left an environmental footprint 3,000 times the size of the pitch! Each fan travelling to the game and enjoying the culinary delights on offer would have a carbon footprint 10 times as large as the one they would have if they watched the game at home. Based on an analysis of the 2004 cup final by Dr Andrea Collins of Cardiff University, the environmental impact of such an event is massive. The major factors are the fans’ transport requirements and the huge amounts of processed foods they consume.
While our government is talking ‘green’ and doing little to ‘be green’, a major cause of global warming goes unnoticed and virtually unreported. I knew that deforestation was damaging the environment, but I never knew it was as devastating as this. According to a fascinating article in The Independent today, just 24 hours of deforestation releases as much CO2 as 8 million people flying from London to New York. The figures in the article make very scary reading, for example, 2 billion tons of CO2 is released each year from deforestation and accounts for roughly a quarter of global emissions. 50 million acres of forest is destroyed every year. That’s an area the size of mainland UK. 
How many of you watched ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’ recently on channel 4? If you did, you will remember the whole programme was an attempt to portray global warming as a purely natural phenomenon caused primarily by solar activity. Even more disturbing, was the film-makers attempt to convince us the theory that global warming is being caused by human activity was false and basically a lie. Apparently we are all victims of a great big con. 
