Controversial environmental charity Greenpeace has always taken a firm stance against nuclear energy due to environmental and military risks. However, a group of young activists are urging them to change their opinion.
European Activists Launch Campaign
A group of young climate activists from five EU countries initiated the “Dear Greenpeace” campaign in Europe. Their goal? To persuade the environmental organization Greenpeace to reevaluate its stance on nuclear energy in the fight against climate change.
A Desperate Plea for Change
Desperation defines the message these young activists are sending to Greenpeace. Ia Aanstoot, an 18-year-old Swedish climate activist, emphasized their desperation to enlist Greenpeace to combat fossil fuels rather than oppose nuclear power.
The Greenpeace Stand Against Nuclear Power
Greenpeace and other critics of nuclear energy maintain that nuclear power remains too risky, polluting, and cost-prohibitive to be a viable solution to the climate crisis.
Financing the “Dear Greenpeace” Campaign
The Belgium-based environmental non-profit Replanet financially supports the “Dear Greenpeace” campaign. This organization prides itself on refusing financing from political parties or industries.
Legal Battles Over Nuclear Inclusion
Greenpeace and several other non-profit organizations have taken legal action against the EU Commission, challenging including nuclear energy in the sustainable finance classification. They label it as “greenwashing.”
A New Generation’s Perspective
Ia Aanstoot, who actively participated in climate activist Greta Thunberg’s school strikes, now seeks to become an “interested party” in Greenpeace’s lawsuit, “The EU’s decisions on what is green should be based on science and being carbon neutral, and it should not be technology-biased,” she said.
Greenpeace Advocates for Renewable Alternatives
Greenpeace argues that investment should be directed toward safer and more affordable renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.
A Focus on Cutting Carbon Emissions
Ariadna Rodrigo, Greenpeace’s EU sustainable finance campaigner, emphasized the top priority of reducing carbon emissions rapidly and cost-effectively, “The top priority is to cut carbon emissions as fast and, ideally, as cheaply as possible, and nuclear fails on both scores.”
The Generational Divide
Daniel Kammen, a professor of energy at the University of California, Berkeley, believes this dispute reflects a generational divide. Young activists see nuclear disasters like Fukushima and Chernobyl as distant memories, while older generations maintain concerns about potential catastrophes.
Assessing the Risk of Nuclear Disasters
Kammen acknowledged that the risk of nuclear disasters is real, even if small. He believes that the more nuclear reactors are built, the greater the likelihood of accidents occurring, “It’s reasonable to be optimistic, but the deeper you look, the more sceptical one should be of every nuclear option.”
A Questionable Climate Solution
M.V. Ramana, a professor at the University of British Columbia, dismissed nuclear energy as an undesirable and impractical solution to climate change, “All nuclear plants necessarily produce radioactive waste,” he said.
No Solution to Nuclear Waste
“We have, so far, not found any demonstrated, proven way of dealing with [this] waste safely anywhere in the world.” He revealed.
The Climate Crisis vs. Nuclear Waste
For Aanstoot, the climate crisis poses a greater risk than managing nuclear waste. She prefers burdening future generations with well-regulated nuclear waste rather than dealing with catastrophic climate consequences.
A Case of Time and Money
According to Kammen, wind and solar energy become cheaper and more efficient as nuclear power becomes more expensive.
Renewable Energy’s Capacity to Meet Demand
Contrary to claims that renewable energy sources like solar and wind are insufficient to meet demand, Kammen believes such assertions are “nuclear propaganda.” He advocates for reliable, scalable, and cost-effective renewable energy solutions.
What’s The Solution?
Kammen identified two potential nuclear power solutions: modular nuclear reactors and nuclear fusion. Modular reactors are smaller and cheaper but remain debatable, whereas nuclear fusion offers promise but requires extensive research and development.
A Distant Dream
Nuclear fusion, which holds the potential for safe, clean energy, remains a distant prospect. Experts estimate decades before it becomes practical.
Urgency in Addressing Climate Change
While nuclear fusion may hold promise for the future, the urgency of addressing climate change requires immediate solutions.
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Source: CBC
