Chris Harries
With regard to nuclear energy, the hard, cold reality is this: If all the world’s electricity now generated by burning fossil fuel was replaced by electricity from nuclear power, there is only enough economically viable uranium in the ground to fuel the reactors for between 3 and 4 years. End of story. Nuclear power is no panacea.
AS reports of serious climate change come thick and fast, not a week goes by without somebody excitedly advocating an energy source that will save us all — whether it be nuclear power, damming the Franklin wilderness or growing crops to fuel our cars.
I will not criticise their motives, because many of these folk have a genuine concern about what we are doing to Planet Earth’s fragile atmosphere. But their beliefs invariably display a gross lack of reality.
With regard to nuclear energy, the hard, cold reality is this: If all the world’s electricity now generated by burning fossil fuel was replaced by electricity from nuclear power, there is only enough economically viable uranium in the ground to fuel the reactors for between 3 and 4 years. End of story. Nuclear power is no panacea.
With regard to hydro power, the hard, cold reality is this: All of Australia’s existing hydro electric resources (mainly the Snowy Mountains and Tasmania) deliver just 2% of Australia’s total energy flow. If we dammed every available remaining river in this dry continent, at best we could do is increase this to a feeble 3% — and then only by overcoming major objections from competing land users.
Let’s face it, we are all energy junkies. We are hooked on our energy-guzzling lifestyles. The thought of withdrawal — even a tiny bit has us looking around crazily for another fix. Any fix will do.
Every time we offer a magic silver bullet, however unreal, the unintended signal given out is: “It’s okay, we can carry on as we are, technology has come to save us”.
All energy supply options do have to be on the table, but the time for simplistic solutions is over. Human beings will only overcome the energy crises that face us all if we can come to terms with how much energy we use.
Study after study has shown that by far the cheapest, most efficient, most lasting and most environmentally and socially benign way to deliver energy for our basic needs is by liberating half the energy we presently use so wastefully. And we will be much healthier for it!
