Choose green energy: Stop Darlington via the star.com

As the debate over our energy future heats up in advance of the provincial election, more than 150 organizations have come together to send a message to whoever forms the next government: We want a green energy future and that means cancelling plans to build new nuclear reactors at the Darlington station.

Investing billions in new reactors today limits the long-term growth of green energy, locking Ontario into a risky and expensive technology even as major world economies are abandoning nuclear power in favour of renewable energy.

Nuclear power’s environmental impacts are well known. New reactors at Darlington will create radioactive waste that will threaten the environment and human health for millions of years.

And, as the Fukushima disaster in Japan reminds us, new reactors will increase the risk of a catastrophic accident or potential terrorist attacks that have the potential to cause harm for generations to come.

Indeed, candidates in the upcoming election need to be asked how they are preparing Ontario for the post-Fukushima world.

Fukushima has spurred Ontario’s competitors to invest heavily in renewable energy technologies. Germany and Switzerland are closing their reactors and replacing them with renewable energy. Japan has dumped its plan for new reactors in favour of green energy and is considering closing its remaining nuclear stations.

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