It doesn’t matter which UK news source you choose. It’s a story that overshadows all others today.
Britain has decided to return to nuclear power in a big way. No matter that one of our former environment ministers was interviewed earlier and stated categorically what an absolutely ill-advised decsision this is. Gordon Brown’s government have today made the nuclear decision official.
One of the arguments for this decision is that the government states that it will help them tackle CO2 emissions.
Yet, according to experts, the reduction in emissions will be a hideously pathetic … 4%. That’s no argument for nuclear.
We trail the rest of Europe when it comes to investment in sustainable energy. We currently glean just 4% of our energy from sustainable sources, yet live on a windswept isle surrounded by strong tides courtesy of the gulf stream. Compare this with, for excample, Sweden, where between 35 and 50% of their energy sourced is sustainable.
Caroline Lucas of the UK’s Green Party sums it up succinctly:
“[The government are] very successfully pulling the wool over people’s eyes over whether or not we need nuclear. The bottom line is there are much greater, safer, quicker, cheaper ways of achieving greater emission cuts than going down the nuclear route. Plus the signal that it gives out internationally is an incredibly negative one”
For more details on this story, please click on the following links:
Channel 4
BBC – includes the opinions of experts – including Ms Lucas’ as quoted above.
In-depth Green Party reaction
