By Noel Wauchope
[…]
At the Paris Climate Summit (COP21), the global nuclear lobby is in overdrive.The centrepiece of today’s global nuclear lobbying is the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, led by Bill Gates, made public at the start of the conference.
Bill Gates announced the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, uniting the efforts of two dozen other billionaire philanthropists such as Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, to sponsor research into energy that doesn’t produce carbon.
Gates was present in Paris together with U.S. President Barack Obama — the White House is reported to be supportive of the initiative. Article after article in the U.S. and other media outline the purpose of this group, stressing renewable initiatives, or rather, “clean” energy initiatives. Nuclear power is not mentioned but is tacitly included in that weasel word, “clean”.
[…]
From an activist in Paris, I have been told:The pro-nukes and their public relations advisers are trying to get nuclear on the table at COP21 — nukes for the third world and upgraded security to protect the new nuke sites. NGO`s and pressure groups have been sidelined at COP21; there are some desperate capitalists around.
Lots of people getting large air time spouting the benefits of nuclear whilst detractors are sidelined. I think that there is also a disruption campaign by the security services and social media companies employed by the corporations.
They are desperately trying to attack anyone who claims thyroid cancers from radiation, even in the face of damning evidence.
A lot of money is being spent to win their points.
Now, I must admit that I have no independent corroboration of this activist’s statement. Still, I think that it is likely to be true, judging by the pro-nuclear coverage being given daily to nuclear as the way to fix climate change.
[…]
Here are some examples from the latest media headlines:‘Godfather Of Global Warming Rebukes Obama, Praises Nuclear As Earth’s Savior’, The Daily Caller.
‘World Leaders To Debate Role Of Nuclear Power At U.N. Climate Summit’, NPR.org.
‘Nuclear power paves the only viable path forward on climate change’, The Guardian.
‘How “New Nuclear” Power Could Save The Planet — If Regulators Would Let It’, Forbes.
‘Climate change: Nuclear is part of the solution, not the problem, says EU lobby’, English RFI France.
‘GOP, Dems come together around the glow of nuclear power’, Washington Examiner.
‘Editorial: To ease climate change, go nuclear’, Richmond Times Dispatch.
‘The nuclear solution’,The Nation.
‘Nuclear energy and the future of Texas’, Austin American Statesman.
[…]
Meanwhile, back in Australia, nuclear enthusiasts are on the bandwagon, too. The latest – and one of my favourites – is Gareth Evans. Evans has long been a voice for the nuclear industry, while simultaneously being Australia’s voice for nuclear disarmament. He sees no connection between nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons.
[…]
If nuclear power really were a solution to climate change, thousands of reactors would need to be up and running very fast and there just isn’t time for this. When it comes to Bill Gates’ favoured mini reactors, there would need to be very many thousands of them. Apart from the extremely high costs, there would be the additional costs of many thousands of guards and security systems — one for each of the reactors. And still they end up with toxic long lasting wastes. And still the nuclear fuel chain involves very considerable greenhouse gas emissions.Bill Gates himself may be something of a dreamer, with high aims and ideals, along with the commercial motive. His Breakthrough Energy Coalition sounds suspiciously like the Breakthrough Institute, which has a long history of advocating inaction on fossil fuel emissions, with the distracting promise of almost magical, new nuclear reactors that still exist only as blueprints.
Read more.
