Today many people are struggling to recover from the effects of the earthquakes and tsunami. The focus now for everybody should be on saving lives and supporting people in Japan. Our thoughts are also with the heroic engineers working to reduce the impact of the nuclear accident at Fukushima.
We need to make sure in future that, while we can’t overcome the force of nature, we can reduce the risks associated with currently operating nuclear power plants and find better alternatives. Germany has temporarily shut down seven reactors to carry out safety checks. The EU has agreed on stress tests for all nuclear facilities. China also announced today they would suspend approval of new nuclear plants.
This response, while welcome, is not enough. We’re currently just lurching from one energy crisis to the next. First the BP oil spill in the US, then oil price spikes in response to unrest in the Middle East, and now this nuclear emergency in Japan.
One response, that many fear, is that the nuclear accident in Japan will derail international efforts to reduce carbon emissions and prompt increased investment in fossil fuels like coal. But the long-term solution is the same as it has always been – a sustainable home-grown renewable energy system. This applies as much to China as it does for the UK.
For years our politicians have promised us that we are on the verge of a clean technology revolution where we switch to a safer, cleaner energy system. It hasn’t happened yet, but if not now, when?
We are blessed on this island with vast natural clean energy resources. You have to ask what it will take before ministers finally seize the potential for renewable energy and the huge bounty of jobs and investment that comes with it. Will this century see billions more go in investment on fossil fuels and nuclear, or is this the moment that clean-tech makes a real break through?
Surely it is time to invest in energy that puts people and our environment first.
