Nuclear power

[roan]

The said:

This worries me more than the perceived threat of global warming.

Nuclear power produces radioactive waste that remains dangerous for tens of thousands of years. The Government still does not know what to do with the waste that has accumulated from more than 50 years of nuclear power.

news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article330005.ece

We're Nuclear Free thank goodness!

However, our incessant desire for more power means that rivers are dammed, gas and oil are consumed whilst windfarms cause visual pollution.

A lot of nuclear waste has been shipped to the far east in the past by sea, some of it passing quite close to New Zealand, which does not amuse us.

[4pygmies]

If we had to come up with a way to maximise our potential for pollution on a massive scale and for centuries, to endanger the health and safety of all who live within a certain distance of a site and, most scarily, to potentially provide insane terrorists with the opportunity to commit murder and suffering on the maximum number of lives we could hardly do better than build nuclear power stations. Considering the paranoia which now pertains to virtually everything to do with terrorism it strikes me as ludicrous that we are even considering nuclear power.
I say it often but I'll say it again - the ONLY way forward is to reduce our power requirements, develop more sustainable power sources and to vote for politicians who are prepared to stand up to global corporations who are only interested in obscenely large short term profits for themselves.
Visual pollution is the least of our concerns IMO although it's odd that the blot on our landscapes that are the millions of metal and electrical pylons seem to be hardly noticed these days.... I once stood at the top of the field opposite me and saw a poor bird blown to smithereens by a power cable. Not a pretty sight. And no power for over 4 hours as a result..
I personally think wind turbines are beautiful things ( there are quite a few around me). If someone wants to build some even nearer to me I won't mind at all - better that than a nuclear power station.........
And while I'm having a minor rant - WHY don't the government help us all 'green' up our homes by installing solar panels, domestic wind turbines, photo voltaic systems? AND why don't the government insist that all new housing developements use grey water recycling systems etc etc? These sorts of systems are prohibitively expensive to buy privately.
Because our governments prefer to spend money on munitions, wars and 'keeping up' on the world stage, on useless free trips abroad for ministers and civil servants and on computer systems which don't work.......it makes me sick!
The current batch of politicians have no idea about public service and democratic leadership and are more interested in personal aggrandisement and accumulation of wealth, no matter what party they are affiliated with. They are ALL bland, boring and corrupt. And the great British public is more interested in idiotic reality programmes and 'celebrity' noddy heads who are, without exception, overpaid, empty headed cartoons. It's all very depressing.......


;D

[mickthecactus]

Indeed, well said 4P - but the real problem is actually overpopulation. Reduce that and eveything would fall into place.

But there's no chance of it happening.......

[4pygmies]

The said:

Well said 4P - I totally agree with you.

The only way to be heard is to become an MP - you'd make a good one and I would certainly vote for you.

I think there are moves afoot to build greener houses, but it will be years before the benefits are realised. I would propose that more money is given out in the form of grants to help us transform our current homes into greener homes.

OMG, me as a politician! What a thought.....chortle..I would offend just about everyone and be pilloried in the press. Yuck....and all those horrendous pictures of my fat badly dressed self all over the papers...good grief......never! Our female Home Secretary was jeered at in the press because she wore a low necked blouse whilst making a speech wasn't she? Never mind what she was saying, just look at the state of her cleavage. Pah!

Did you know that the grant scheme that provided £500 per house towards the cost of solar panels (wholly inadequate but at least a start) actually ran out of money in the first 3 months of last year as so many people applied (I think I'm right in saying anyway). There was no more cash available........stoopid, short sighted and typically not joined up policy....


And Mick, I quite agree with you. The tragic possibilty, that over the next few hundred years, our population levels will be reduced drastically by all the horrendous climate changes that will happen. Swamped by seas, flattened by avalanches, drowned in mud slides, famine because the crops have failed and destroyed by hurricanes - none of these appear to matter too much to the Western world because too often they happen over the other side of the world. We are so generous with charity handouts though (so that's all right then). We can just carry on as normal though....

[cheerypeabrain]

4pygmies said:

If we had to come up with a way to maximise our potential for pollution on a massive scale and for centuries, to endanger the health and safety of all who live within a certain distance of a site and, most scarily, to potentially provide insane terrorists with the opportunity to commit murder and suffering on the maximum number of lives we could hardly do better than build nuclear power stations. Considering the paranoia which now pertains to virtually everything to do with terrorism it strikes me as ludicrous that we are even considering nuclear power.
I say it often but I'll say it again - the ONLY way forward is to reduce our power requirements, develop more sustainable power sources and to vote for politicians who are prepared to stand up to global corporations who are only interested in obscenely large short term profits for themselves.
Visual pollution is the least of our concerns IMO although it's odd that the blot on our landscapes that are the millions of metal and electrical pylons seem to be hardly noticed these days.... I once stood at the top of the field opposite me and saw a poor bird blown to smithereens by a power cable. Not a pretty sight. And no power for over 4 hours as a result..
I personally think wind turbines are beautiful things ( there are quite a few around me). If someone wants to build some even nearer to me I won't mind at all - better that than a nuclear power station.........
And while I'm having a minor rant - WHY don't the government help us all 'green' up our homes by installing solar panels, domestic wind turbines, photo voltaic systems? AND why don't the government insist that all new housing developements use grey water recycling systems etc etc? These sorts of systems are prohibitively expensive to buy privately.
Because our governments prefer to spend money on munitions, wars and 'keeping up' on the world stage, on useless free trips abroad for ministers and civil servants and on computer systems which don't work.......it makes me sick!
The current batch of politicians have no idea about public service and democratic leadership and are more interested in personal aggrandisement and accumulation of wealth, no matter what party they are affiliated with. They are ALL bland, boring and corrupt. And the great British public is more interested in idiotic reality programmes and 'celebrity' noddy heads who are, without exception, overpaid, empty headed cartoons. It's all very depressing.......


;D

Well said my dear.
It's all down to MONEY and power....politicians never see the long term benefits..only the risk of loosing popularity (and votes)...I despair for the future of the human race. Environmental groups have no 'teeth' to enforce green measures...most councils seem only to pay lip service to recycling. Our own council provides a recycling bin but will only accept magazines, newspaper, glass bottles and types 1 & 2 plastic. If we put owt else in they won't empty it! There are no big recycling bins (for old clothes, books etc) and unless one has a car there's no way of getting stuff there. I take quite a lot of stuff to charity shops, try not to buy food that's over-wrapped, re-use carrier bags and make my own compost, but there's so much more I could do if recycling facilities were more readily available.

Also...I'm always stamping about turning lights and appliances off around the house. OH seems to leave the telly, pooter and all the lights on even if hes in the garage.... :