This post is co-authored by Geoff Russell

In their determination to attack nuclear power and those who support it, anti-nuclear activism has walked away from the scientific process. As a result, nearly the entire community of environmental organisations in Australia is currently standing behind figures that are completely mathematically incorrect. Will they correct these blatant errors and open their publications to expert external review? Or is correct maths and good science optional when you wear the colour green? Continue reading →

I began my nuclear advocacy in November 2010. I spoke to 4 people in a free community venue. I knew them all by name. One of them was my father. My wife baked cakes.

As you might imagine, I left with mixed feelings. I had just delivered my now somewhat-seminal presentation Nuclear Power: From Opponent to Proponent for the first time. I thought I  had something, but it was an inglorious start to be sure, and I did not know if the issue really  had legs.

If, on that day, I could have seen the flyer for this future conference, I would have been blown away. Some may still like to behave as if nuclear is an intractable issue, but this is simply not true. In the last two-and-a-half years Australia has come a long way. Now, thanks to the courage of ATSE, we are gearing up for our first major, committed conversation on the topic. For two full days, local and international experts will canvass a full range of issues. A special edition journal of papers will be released. We are now on the road. Follow this link to register

Please share this conference information widely. ATSE have done a wonderful job of keeping costs low. Those with any professional interest in Australia’s energy future must attend. There are also a small number of exceptionally discounted student places.

I look forward to seeing the turnout for this important conversation!!!

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Having only just updated my Who Gets It? page I am amazed to bring another high-profile gentlemen with a clear message about nuclear power.

Brian Eno

Brian Eno

I have long known Brian Eno as a producer for Talking Heads and U2 (a mere fraction of his contribution to music). What I have just learned is that this remarkable man is also a board member of the nuclear disarmament group BASIC  and the environmental NGO ClientEarth.

On nuclear power, Eno has made some of the most eloquent statements I have yet read. Here is an extract (complete statement is here):

As a result of over-excited media reporting (‘great story!’ I heard one journalist say) that single word (Fukushima) has probably condemned nuclear power for another generation, when in fact the accident produced no radiation-related deaths (and it’s doubtful that it will produce a discernable statistical blip in cancers in the future). In a conspiracy which seems almost dishonest, most Green groups failed to acknowledge this – it was too good as propaganda for them to let the facts get in the way – and of course the press never returned to the subject with any correctional follow-up. It became one of those little nuggets of received, and totally incorrect, wisdom: Nuclear=Fukushima=Catastrophe.

.…the real catastrophe of Fukushima is in the future, waiting for us in the form of vastly increased atmospheric CO2. An emotional over-reaction to a media storm has produced a thoroughly bad decision with long term global consequences.

Fantastic words from an amazing guy.

Like what you see? Please subscribe to the blog, Like Decarbonise SA on Facebook and followBenThinkClimate on Twitter. Read more about the potential for nuclear power in Australia at Zero Carbon Options

MEDIA RELEASE

A former anti-nuclear environmentalist has become one of the first people in the world to co-author an independent report pitting the advantages of nuclear energy against renewable energy for electricity generation.

Addressing the Paydirt 2013 Uranium Conference in Adelaide today, ThinkClimate Consulting Director, Mr Ben Heard, unveiled Zero Carbon Options – Seeking an Economic Mix for an Environmental Outcome – a comprehensive, self-funded report analysing 13 specific benchmarks to identify the most efficient energy source to replace two small coal-fired power stations at Port Augusta in South Australia.

“If as a country, we continue to say ‘no’ to nuclear energy as a way of addressing climate change, we better damn well be sure we know why we are saying ‘no’,” Mr Heard said.

 “To my knowledge, nothing like this has ever been done before anywhere in the world,” he said.

 “One of the advantages of this report is the fact it is based on an actual case study – powering the Port Augusta electricity stations – so can easily be used as a blueprint for similar plants utilised anywhere in the world.

 “This report applied a multi-criteria analysis of the performance of different technology solutions against the specific task of reliability replacing the electricity provided by two small coal-fired power stations.

 “If Australians are genuinely serious about addressing climate change including reducing greenhouse gas emissions – nuclear is by far the best way to go.

 “Across the board, the results stand for themselves – less start-up costs, lower cost electricity, much smaller land use, no use of fresh water, more reliable generation capacity….the list goes on.”

The multi-criteria analysis used to compare nuclear energy against a hybrid renewable option (combining solar and wind) included capital cost, operational waste, land use, water consumption, job creation, lifespan of plant, reliability and existing global and national generating capacity.

 Mr Heard said the challenge of maintaining and building Australia’s economy while engaging in rapid decarbonisation was a daunting one.

“But to take the challenge without impartially exploring every available zero-carbon generation technology is unwise – and arguably, irresponsible,” Mr Heard said.

 “And as any environmentalist knows, to reduce our carbon footprint coal must be eliminated from the global energy debate post haste,” he said.

 “And ALL options need to be considered for that footprint reduction to occur.

 “Our hope that this report will foster a more open and accountable decision of all the zero-carbon options that are currently available to us”.

 A copy of the report can be obtained at http://www.zerocarbonoptions.com/

For some time now, a number of people have urged me to read The Great Disruption: How the Climate Crisis Will Transform the Global Economy, by Paul Gilding (2011). I grabbed a copy a little while ago.

I was prompted to examine it more closely after reading this article by Gilding. I appreciate optimism. But this piece leaves optimism behind in preference to incredible confirmation bias.

All evidence is pulled together to support Gilding’s premise of imminent renewable revolution as part of global mobilisation against climate change, while any and all countervailing evidence is blinkered out. He references the headline from Bloomberg regarding new renewables in Australia now being cheaper than coal. This headline finding and the work underpinning it was demolished in critique by both me and Tristan Edis of Climate Spectator, both of us (but the latter in particular) being supporters of renewables having a role in the changes to come. But Gilding took it at face value, along with everything else. His article managed to talk about winning the climate crisis seemingly on the back of wind and solar. There was no mention of biomass, energy storage or, you guessed it, nuclear power. So I picked up the book with trepidation to check the treatment of nuclear power in Chapter 12. It began promisingly: Continue reading →