Nuclear Lies Are Keeping You Afraid

The father of the Gaia theory, says far from being uniquely dangerous, only nuclear power can solve the food and energy crises ahead

by James Lovelock - February 15th, 2009 - The Sunday Times

There are now more than 440 nuclear power stations in the world, producing 17% of all the electricity used, about the same percentage as hydro-electricity. Other sources of renewable energy - biofuels, wind, etc - produce only 2%. The safety record, their cost and the local acceptability of these fission-powered stations make them the most desirable of all sources. So why in the First World do we still persist in the falsehood that they are uniquely dangerous?

I think we fail to welcome nuclear energy as the one good and reliable power source because we have been grievously misled by a concatenation of lies. Falsehood has built on falsehood and is mindlessly repeated by the media until belief in the essential evil of all things nuclear is part of an instinctive response.

It is often said that nuclear waste is uniquely deadly and will persist for millions of years and poison the global environment. All pollution by chemical elements persists. Lead pollution from a mine, smelter or factory where it is made into things lasts for ever; the same is true of mercury, arsenic, cadmium and thallium: these toxic elements are permanently with us. What is remarkable about nuclear waste is that it fades away. In 600 years the high-level waste from a nuclear power station is no more radioactive or dangerous than the uranium ore from which it originated. More importantly, there is hardly any nuclear waste to worry about. The yearly output of waste from a 1,000MW power station would fit in a London taxi.

Where do all these lies originate? From the 'chicken little' enviro extremists whose major antipathy is for mankind itself. There is no lie about any cheap energy source that will not be invented and spread to keep mankind without sufficient energy. The adoration of wind power by these fanatics is specifically because it is so obviously a stupid idea.