Comments on: Split Over the Atom

By: J. Ewing

J. Ewing — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:54:05 +0000

THIS IS SILLY. It is a matter of established scientific fact that there is more radiation coming out of a coal-fired power plant than is emitted from a nuclear plant.

By: The Badge

The Badge — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:22:37 +0000

I notice George Monbiot is accepting Arthur Scargill’s challenge as long as he can choose the source of radiation in the room. Presumably he’s just going to pull the curtains, or simply say “background” and stand there for two minutes. Looking forward to seeing how long Arthur can hold his breath…..

By: Dave Gardner

Dave Gardner — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:28:32 +0000

As I understand it, the key worst decision in the history of British nuclear power was to press ahead with the Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) in the 1960s and it was Tony Benn that made that decision. To make the decision even worse, the three UK nuclear design firms in existence in the 1960s were asked to come up with a different AGR design each. So for Benn to argue that nuclear power has been expensive and unsuccessful is a bit like whoever it was that was responsible for the development of the Betamax video arguing that the the videocassette manufacturing industry has been expensive and unsuccessful.

Arthur Scargill sounds like he is stuck in a 1980s timewarp. He doesn’t seem to have worked out that the British Green movement has stabbed him and the coal mining industry in the back.

In the 1980s Greenpeace argued for a coal-fired power station to be built instead of Sizewell B even though the ‘greenhouse effect’ was known about at the time. Jonathon Porritt’s thoughts on the greenhouse effect in the 1980s were (from his book ‘Seeing Green’): “When fossil fuels are burned, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. There’s no technological fix that can do anything about this…. CO2 concentrations will have doubled by the middle of the next century. This may well trigger off the ‘greenhouse effect..” (page 41) “In the meantime, our reserves of coal should see us through for the next 250 years or so”. (page 176)

When the Conservatives got rid of Britain’s coal mining industry in the 1990s, partly under the excuse of global warming, it became expedient for British Greens to be opposed to burning coal (unlike Germany where their Greens are not as yet opposed to coal because Germany still has a big coal-mining insustry) and they have been ever since.

By: iceFree

iceFree — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 21:34:20 +0000

Here is a nice little read on a guy who turned
the tables, and took on greenpeace in Brazil
over nuclear power. And won.

.” You know, there is a saying among journalists in Brazil: “If a dog bites a girl, this is not news. But it would be front page news, if the girl bites the dog!”

http://www.21stcenturysciencetech.com/articles/spring01/Brazil_defeats_greenpeace.html

By: The Sun says No...

The Sun says No... — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:33:22 +0000

Funnily enough It was James “Your Doooomed” Lovelock himself made me do a total re-think over nuclear after reading Gaias Revenge (Grrr!) – alas for him I went on to further scrutinise his ideas in such a way too…

Ah but would I want a nuclear power station near me? We’ll I doubt anyone particularly wants a power station on the door step but that aside (& carbon capture & the like aside) I’d rather risk homeopathic carcinogens over breathing in what the other options might currently be producing

Perhaps the greens should rethink solar power since it utilises the nuclear furnice of the sun by proxy

By: jabailo

jabailo — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:24:43 +0000

I don’t see why there’s any argument at all.

France produces 80% of its electricity with nuclear.

It sells the surplus.

Are the French dying of radiation poisoning?

Are Frances costs too high to maintain the program?

Is there something in the wine that makes France the only country in the world that is capable of doing this?

Do they wish they had never gone nuke and hate it? Or do they love it and are glad they did?

With France around, there is no need for “projections” and studies. Just check the accounting for France and see if it works.