We’re pretty impressed at the depths New Labour will sink to push a bad idea – so much so that we’ve made this video about the government’s Energy Review – the latest ploy in their tireless efforts to revive the dirty and dangerous nuclear industry.
The fact that a new fleet of reactors in the UK could only cut our carbon emissions by a measly 4 per cent was buried during the public consultation.
Perhaps more perplexing is that the government says it’s up to the private sector to “initiate, fund, construct and operate new nuclear plants and cover the costs of decommissioning and their full share of long term waste management costs.” The government have repeatedly refused to qualify exactly what ‘full share’ means.
Given the past economic performance of nuclear power, it’s unlikely any smart business person would touch nuclear power without government subsidies or assistance. The simple fact is that there is currently no reactor programme anywhere in the world which exists without subsidies.
So if it is up to businesses to fund and build the new reactors, what exactly is our government doing to reduce our energy emissions? Is the best we can now expect from government a marketing exercise?
We say there's a more convenient solution, which can do far more to reduce our emissions than nuclear power - for less money and in the same time frame. The solution is a mix of renewable energy, efficiency and combined heat and power (CHP).
The government’s public consultation finishes on October 10th, and we need you to write to your MP urging them to take a closer look at the real solutions that can meet our energy needs and reduce our impact on climate change.
