Accepting and Embracing Nuclear Power

Nicolas Loris / July 23, 2009

Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has a problem. His Labor Party government wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 60 percent from 2000 levels by 2050, but opposes building nuclear power plants– the one clean, abundant, and affordable energy source known to this planet. Ziggy Switkowski, head of the nation’s main nuclear research institute, says that will soon change:

As more and more Australians get involved in the whole climate change debate, as they learn about what’s happening around the world where the uptake of nuclear power is increasing quite strongly, they’ll accept the attraction of nuclear power and over time embrace it.”

Australia isn’t the only country. China, as evidenced by the pictures below, is quite literally laying the groundwork for a rapid expansion in nuclear power with 14 plants under construction and 10 more slated to begin construction before the end of 2009. (more…)