| On the front page of the World Nuclear
| |
| | draws a large part of its energy needs
|
| Association website prominently rests a
| |
| | from this source." How many of you know
|
| quote from what some consider the world's
| |
| | that, while natural gas could cut carbon
|
| leading environmentalist and among the
| |
| | dioxide emissions by half, if used
|
| world's top scientists, Dr. James
| |
| | ubiquitously, some of the natural gas
|
| Lovelock:
| |
| | leaks into the air before it burnt?
|
| "There is no sensible alternative to
| |
| | According to the Society of Chemical
|
| nuclear power if we are to sustain
| |
| | Industry's report (2004), this amounts to
|
| civilization."
| |
| | about 2 to 4 percent of the gas used.
|
| - James Lovelock, preeminent world leader
| |
| | Methane, the main constituent of natural
|
| in the development of environmental
| |
| | gas is 24 times more potent a greenhouse
|
| consciousness
| |
| | gas than carbon dioxide.
|
| At age eighty-six, Dr. Lovelock has just
| |
| | Fusion sounded great in theory, but when
|
| published his fourth book, The Revenge of
| |
| | I discussed it with Dr. Fred Begay, at
|
| Gaia (Penguin Books, 2006). "Gaia" is Dr.
| |
| | the Los Alamos National Laboratories,
|
| Lovelock's belief that earth is a living,
| |
| | this past November, he told me it may
|
| evolving organism, not just a hunk of
| |
| | take fifty years to develop, if it ever
|
| rock we all live upon. Through his book,
| |
| | could be developed as an energy source.
|
| Lovelock refers to Gaia, when he is
| |
| | Lovelock explains in his book why Fusion
|
| discussing our third planet from the sun.
| |
| | Energy would be wonderful, but he brought
|
| His latest book is a MUST read for anyone
| |
| | up the one point, which stymies nuclear
|
| who is following the renaissance in
| |
| | physicists (and which environmentalists
|
| nuclear energy. Environmentalists won't
| |
| | won't even talk about), "... the nuclear
|
| read this book. Perhaps their bosses will
| |
| | fusion of hydrogen yields millions of
|
| BAN them from reading this book. Those
| |
| | times more energy than its mere
|
| environmentalists who carefully read
| |
| | combustion, but to start the powerful
|
| Lovelock's latest book may very well
| |
| | reaction requires some means of heating
|
| become nuclear power lobbyists, if they
| |
| | the hydrogen to 150 million degrees."
|
| would bathe, shave and spiff up a bit.
| |
| | How exactly go you go about heating
|
| Chapter Five, "Sources of Energy," will
| |
| | something on earth up to 150 million
|
| instantly disintegrate every ridiculous
| |
| | degrees, when the core of the sun has a
|
| argument propounded by the naïve and
| |
| | temperature of a little more than 100
|
| antediluvian anti-nuclear movements
| |
| | million degrees? Again, great theory and
|
| across the world.
| |
| | work is being done in this arena to bring
|
| Dr. Lovelock's credentials and
| |
| | about a solution sometime this century,
|
| achievements are light years beyond those
| |
| | but this technology remains in an
|
| of any environmental mouthpiece espousing
| |
| | incubation stage.
|
| the "green" movement. More so than anyone
| |
| | The most shocking and disturbing
|
| alive, Lovelock is first and foremost a
| |
| | discussion through Lovelock's book was
|
| giant of the earth's environmentalist
| |
| | the problem with carbon dioxide
|
| movement. Since 1974, Lovelock has been a
| |
| | emissions. The burning question these
|
| Fellow of the Royal Society. Since 1994,
| |
| | days is "WHAT" to do with nuclear waste.
|
| he has been an Honorary Visiting Fellow
| |
| | Lovelock believes we should start
|
| of Green College, University of Oxford.
| |
| | worrying about what to do about carbon
|
| New Scientist described him as "one of
| |
| | dioxide emissions waste, "The world's
|
| the great thinkers of our time. The
| |
| | annual production of carbon dioxide is
|
| London Observer has called him, "one of
| |
| | 27,000 million tons. If this much were
|
| the environmental movement's most
| |
| | frozen into solid carbon dioxide at -80
|
| influential figures." In 2003, he was
| |
| | degrees Centigrade, it would make a
|
| made Companion of Honour by Her Majesty
| |
| | mountain one mile high and twelve miles
|
| the Queen. Prospect magazine named Dr.
| |
| | in circumference. To sequester this much
|
| Lovelock in September 2005, "one of the
| |
| | each year could not be achieved quickly -
|
| world's top 100 global public
| |
| | probably not sooner than twenty years
|
| intellectuals."
| |
| | from now." He added, "If only had
|
| How does Dr. Lovelock respond to the
| |
| | developed and installed the equipment for
|
| question of nuclear waste? He writes, "I
| |
| | removing carbon dioxide from power
|
| have offered in public to accept all the
| |
| | stations and industry fifty years ago, we
|
| high-level waste produced in a year from
| |
| | would now face surmountable problems."
|
| a nuclear power station for deposit on my
| |
| | Another problem with carbon dioxide
|
| small plot of land; it would occupy a
| |
| | should give you nightmares or reach for a
|
| space about a cubic metre in size and fit
| |
| | gas mask. Carbon dioxide, according to
|
| safely in a concrete pit, and I would use
| |
| | Dr. Lovelock, "has a complicated removal
|
| the heat from its decaying radioactive
| |
| | with an effective residence time of
|
| elements to heat my home. It would be a
| |
| | between fifty and a hundred years. About
|
| waste not to use it. More important, it
| |
| | half of the carbon dioxide we have so far
|
| would be no danger to me, my family or
| |
| | added to the air remains there." That
|
| the wildlife." That should enlighten the
| |
| | means the carbon dioxide we add to our
|
| yokels arguing against the Yucca Mountain
| |
| | existing air pollution will still be
|
| nuclear waste depository.
| |
| | breathed by our children, grandchildren
|
| Chapter Five, "Sources of Energy,"
| |
| | and their children. How is that for a
|
| concisely and cogently answers every
| |
| | legacy?
|
| silly "theory" about renewable energy
| |
| | James Lovelock's Conclusion on Nuclear
|
| sources hyped by the "green" movement.
| |
| | Energy
|
| Let's take Biomass, which makes sense to
| |
| | How does James Lovelock feel about
|
| any concerned citizen. Lovelock even
| |
| | nuclear energy? "I believe nuclear power
|
| agrees with the theory of Biomass,
| |
| | is the only source of energy that will
|
| writing, "Used sensibly and on a modest
| |
| | satisfy our demands and yet not be a
|
| scale, burning wood or agricultural waste
| |
| | hazard to Gaia and interfere with its
|
| for heat or energy is no threat to Gaia."
| |
| | capacity to sustain a comfortable climate
|
| Please note that he modified his
| |
| | and atmospheric composition. This is
|
| statement with "sensibly" and "modest."
| |
| | mainly because nuclear reactions are
|
| In a nutshell, he explains why Biomass
| |
| | millions of times more energetic than
|
| will not become a leading energy source,
| |
| | chemical reactions. The most energy
|
| "Bio fuels are especially dangerous
| |
| | available from a chemical reaction, such
|
| because it is too easy to grow them as a
| |
| | as burning carbon in oxygen, is about
|
| replacement for fossil fuel; they will
| |
| | nine kilowatt hours per kilogram. The
|
| then demand an area of land or ocean far
| |
| | nuclear fusion of hydrogen atoms to form
|
| larger than Gaia can afford... We have
| |
| | helium gives several million times as
|
| already taken more than half of the
| |
| | much, and the energy from splitting
|
| productive land to grow food for
| |
| | uranium is greater still."
|
| ourselves. How can we expect Gaia to
| |
| | Through his book, Lovelock reminds us
|
| manage the Earth if we try to take the
| |
| | that nuclear power is the single answer
|
| rest of the land for fuel production?" He
| |
| | for this century, "We need emission-free
|
| added poignantly, "Just imagine that we
| |
| | energy sources immediately, and there is
|
| tried to power our present civilization
| |
| | no serious contender to nuclear fission."
|
| on crops grown specifically for fuel,
| |
| | Lovelock addresses Three Mile Island,
|
| such as coppice woodland, fields of
| |
| | Chernobyl, nuclear testing in the 1960s,
|
| oilseed rape, and so on. These are the
| |
| | and many other events over the past fifty
|
| 'bio fuels', the much-applauded renewable
| |
| | years, as nuclear energy has developed.
|
| energy source...We would need the land
| |
| | If you wondered about radiation and
|
| area of several Earths just to grow the
| |
| | cancer, Lovelock answers that as well.
|
| bio fuel."
| |
| | You may leap up, after reading those
|
| Wind power gets shellacked as well. For
| |
| | pages, and start faxing them off to every
|
| those environmentalists, such as Amory
| |
| | environmentalist group you can contact.
|
| Lovins, who believe "Wind Farms" are
| |
| | It may be the most definitive analysis of
|
| going to become a significant energy
| |
| | the disconnect the media and the greens
|
| source, they are full of hot air.
| |
| | have about nuclear energy and its impact
|
| According to the Royal Society of
| |
| | on our health that you have ever read.
|
| Engineers 2004 report, onshore European
| |
| | Lovelock concludes, "The persistent
|
| wind energy is two and a half times, and
| |
| | distortion of the truth about the health
|
| offshore wind energy over three times,
| |
| | risks of nuclear energy should make us
|
| more expensive per kilowatt hour than gas
| |
| | wonder if the other statements about
|
| or nuclear energy. Denmark, which
| |
| | nuclear energy are equally flawed."
|
| pioneered wind farms, is regretting the
| |
| | One specific question that has puzzled
|
| decision. Niels Gram of the Danish
| |
| | me, for a number of years, was this: How
|
| Federation of Industries said, "In green
| |
| | many people die to produce each of our
|
| terms windmills are a mistake and
| |
| | energy sources? The table below answered
|
| economically make no sense... Many of us
| |
| | that question. The comparative safety of
|
| thought wind was the 100-percent solution
| |
| | the different energy sources comes from
|
| for the future, but we were wrong. In
| |
| | the Paul Scherrer Institute in
|
| fact, taking all energy needs into
| |
| | Switzerland in a 2001 report, which
|
| account it is only a 3 percent solution."
| |
| | Lovelock reproduces on page 102 of his
|
| Lovelock writes, "To supply the UK's
| |
| | book. The Institute examined all of the
|
| present electricity needs would require
| |
| | world's large-scale energy sources and
|
| 276,000 wind generators, about three per
| |
| | compared them against their safety
|
| square mile, if national parks, urban,
| |
| | records. The numbers of deaths were
|
| suburban and industrial areas are
| |
| | expressed in terms of terrawatt year of
|
| excluded... at best, energy is available
| |
| | energy made, between 1970 and 1992. A
|
| from wind turbines only 25 percent of the
| |
| | terrawatt year (TTY) is one million
|
| time." German environmentalists, who have
| |
| | million watts of electricity made and
|
| recently led the charge for Wind Power,
| |
| | continuously used throughout a year.
|
| should reconsider. Lovelock writes, "The
| |
| | Fuel Fatalities Who Deaths per TTY
|
| most recent report from Germany put wind
| |
| | Coal 6400 Workers 342
|
| energy as available only 16 percent of
| |
| | Hydro 4000 Public 883
|
| the time."
| |
| | Natural Gas 1200 Workers and Public 85
|
| Surely, solar power must be the answer,
| |
| | Nuclear 31 Workers 8
|
| right? Wrong! Lovelock writes, "Solar
| |
| | Lovelock does not simply endorse nuclear,
|
| cells are not yet suitable for supplying
| |
| | as an idle thought. He is passionate
|
| electricity directly to homes or
| |
| | about nuclear energy as a life-saving
|
| workplaces, mostly because, despite over
| |
| | measure, "My strong pleas for nuclear
|
| thirty years of development, they are
| |
| | energy come from a growing sense that we
|
| quite expensive to make. At the Centre
| |
| | have little time left in which to install
|
| for Alternative Technology in Wales there
| |
| | a reliable and secure supply of
|
| is an experimental house with a roof made
| |
| | electricity.... The important and
|
| almost entirely of silicon photocells. In
| |
| | overriding consideration is time; we have
|
| summer it provides about three kilowatts
| |
| | nuclear power now, and new nuclear
|
| of electricity, but the cost of
| |
| | building should be started immediately.
|
| installation was comparable with the
| |
| | All of the alternatives, including fusion
|
| house itself, and the expected life of
| |
| | energy, require decades of development
|
| the cells is about ten years. Sunlight,
| |
| | before they can be employed on a scale
|
| like wind, is intermittent and would,
| |
| | that would significantly reduce
|
| without efficient storage, be an
| |
| | emissions."
|
| inconvenient energy source at these
| |
| | He concludes his masterpiece of Chapter
|
| latitudes."
| |
| | Five of The Revenge of Gaia by writing:
|
| Solar and wind power were just two of the
| |
| | "Meanwhile at the world's climate centres
|
| many energy sources Lovelock sends to the
| |
| | the barometer continues to fall and tell
|
| dumpster. Wave and tidal energy,
| |
| | of the imminent danger of a climate storm
|
| hydro-electricity, hydrogen, fusion
| |
| | whose severity the Earth has not endured
|
| energy, coal and oil and natural gas all
| |
| | for fifty-five million years. But in the
|
| suffer similar consequences under Dr.
| |
| | cities the party goes on; how much longer
|
| Lovelock's scientific microscope.
| |
| | before reality enters our minds?
|
| Geothermal gets a partial endorsement,
| |
| | ************************************
|
| but Lovelock writes, "Unfortunately there
| |
| | James Finch contributes to and other
|
| are few places where it is freely
| |
| | publications.
|
| available. Iceland is one of them, and it
| |
| |
|
