Let’s go renewable not nuclear
Green Media release May 6th 2007
Renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and potentially tidal and wave, offer a safe and
climate friendly energy future to New Zealand says the Green Party. There is absolutely no need for us to use nuclear
power which is inherently dangerous, unsustainable and expensive say the Greens in response to recent calls to go
nuclear to reduce greenhouse emissions.
“New Zealand has tremendous renewable resources providing us with a safe, climate friendly and sustainable energy source
well into the future. In comparison the problems with nuclear power generation have not gone away,” says Green Co-Leader
Russel Norman.
“Our runaway greenhouse emissions are due to government inaction, not the lack of renewable energy options, and
shouldn’t lead us to build runaway nuclear reactors.
“Nuclear power brings the risk of nuclear accidents like Chernobyl, which would spread radiation over great areas of the
country and poisoning people and destroying exports from our primary sector. Nobody ever got radioactive poisoning from
a solar panel.
“Nuclear power has still not resolved the problem of waste disposal, waste which remains highly radioactive for many
thousands of years, waste that will be our legacy to many hundreds of future generations. Disposing of the water waste
from hydro power is surprisingly easy, you just let it run downstream.
“The nuclear industry produces the material needed to build nuclear weapons as an inevitable side product, weapons that
threaten the future of the entire human race. The hot water coming out of a solar hot water system doesn’t threaten to
cook the planet, just give you a warm shower.
“Nuclear power creates ideal targets for terrorist attack, with the resultant radioactive spread. I can’t see Al Qaida
targeting a tidal power generator in Cook Strait.
“Nuclear power comes in large units that would destabilise the electricity grid. A 1000MW nuclear power plant near
Auckland would need 1000MW of standby power ready to go for when it went offline, as the often do. Geothermal generation
units can be built in the size that suits our grid.
“And nuclear power is expensive and requires massive government subsidy. Renewable energy generation is cheap, here now,
and is not subsidised.
“We can have a carbon free electricity generating sector by investing in renewable energy without going down the nuclear
path.”
ends