No Nuke Needed

We all know that if we cut down on fossil fuels, we're not going to have enough energy without building new nuclear power plants. We know that because men and women in suits appear on television and say so. They don't say why, they just know.

Maybe they don't know. An actual study finds that it's not necessary after all, at least in England.

The report The Balance of Power by independent consultants ILEX shows that by increasing renewable energy and cutting energy waste the power sector could actually reduce emissions by 55 per cent by 2025.

The report was commissioned by UK's World Wildlife Fund, so caveat all you want, it's a matter of evaluating the data, and it at least suggests that the conventional wisdom is not so wise. Of course there'll be a study commissioned by the nuclear power industry, or their friends in government and the global corporation but why not take a serious look at this?

Keith Allott, Head of climate change at WWF, said: "The much talked about 'energy gap' is simply a myth which has been perpetuated to justify the resurgence of nuclear power. This report shows that a renewed focus on reducing demand for electricity and increasing the use of renewable energy and microgeneration would make new nuclear redundant. We can not only meet energy demand without resorting to new nuclear power, but with the right measures we can reduce emissions from electricity generation too."