Where Does Nuclear Energy sit in the Carbon Reduction Mix?
Like most of us, I have deep concerns about nuclear energy and especially the disposal of the wastes but we should be asking what is more dangerous – nuclear energy or methane/carbon dioxide? Can we economically get renewable energy up and running without nuclear? Or will the coal industry hold us to ransom for ever?
The current Australian Government thinking requires carbon reduction targets of only 5 per cent by 2020 with “aspirational” targets of 25 per cent. The latter become fixed only if the international community comes to a consensus on universal targets. Even if good international targets are set, we won’t meet them without changing our existing energy mix. A 5 per cent target is hardly tough policy considering the way Rudd and Wong are positioning themselves as “leaders” in climate change. Is Rudd’s carbon reduction rhetoric simply one of the worst cases of greenwash”?
The 60 per cent reduction target by 2050 does not appear to be achievable without a nationwide nuclear energy program. And even then if we got to work immediately on building the technology and the reactors for such a program, it is highly unlikely a 60 per cent reduction target by the middle of the century could be achieved.
THE debate over whether Australia should or shouldn’t pass the government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme ahead of the Copenhagen conference in December is a red herring when it comes to climate change.
That date is irrelevant.
Why? …..
Because whether we have the legislation in place or not will make little difference to Australia’s capacity to reduce carbon pollution while both main parties aren’t prepared to get serious and have a mature debate about the entire issue and sadly I think, include nuclear power.
The Coalition has been prepared to discuss the nuclear energy option for some years, but only if it is done in a bipartisan way. It well knows the scare campaign on placement of nuclear reactors that Labor would run if it endorsed nuclear power without Labor’s support. For its part the Labor government isn’t even willing to debate the issue. Kevin Rudd has said it is off the agenda and that’s that.
The current politics and posturing are only a distraction from the need to consider the exact make-up of the government’s CPRS legislation and also to include nuclear power if Australia wants to get serious about carbon pollution reduction. At the end of the day a floored or amended CPRS is not likely to be able to achieve substantial carbon reduction targets unless serious renewable energy is included and probably also nuclear energy in the domestic energy mix.
The Australian energy sector as it stands is far too dependent on coal and the concept of clean coal technology is only a concept. It is not achievable at the moment and there are no indicators that it will be achievable any time soon (if ever). That, of course, hasn’t stopped us pumping millions of dollars into trialling the technology. Storing huge amounts of underground CO2 is highly dangerous. Research and development spending is but we also need investment in proven alternative technology.
Interestingly nineteen of the G20 nations already have nuclear power in their energy mix or are planning the construction of reactors; 15 and four nation-states respectively. Only Australia has shied away from the nuclear energy option and really only for fear of political backlash.
The point of the carbon reduction legislation is to add a substantial cost to pollute so that business and households have an incentive to reduce their waste.
The big thing that has been left out of all this is encouraging business and especially the 1.9 million small businesses, to simply reduce their carbon footprint and save money. This makes so much more sense than encouraging them to buy carbon offsets where they pay to pollute and go on both paying and polluting. Good energy management appears to be a forgotten factor in the political schemes.
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