| The United States with less than 5% of the world's | | | | atmosphere, no visual pollution, it is cost relatively |
| population consumes roughly 25% of the world's | | | | cost effective, quiet and we have sufficient supply |
| energy. Some might argue that this is egregious, | | | | of uranium here at home for the foreseeable future |
| while others would say that it is simply a yardstick by | | | | to provide for a major portion of our energy needs. |
| which the world's largest economy is measured. But | | | | Historically, at least, the problem with nuclear energy |
| for whatever the reason for our vast consumption | | | | has been primarily two fold. First, the "China |
| of energy, the fact remains that in order to consume | | | | Syndrome" problem of a meltdown of a reactor |
| you first have to produce. And as most of our | | | | which could release a large amount of radioactivity |
| energy comes from burning fossil fuels- which | | | | and second, what do we do with nuclear waste |
| wouldn't be too bad except that: | | | | material that has a half-life of over 25,000 years! The |
| (1) burning vast amounts of fossil fuels in this county | | | | perception of these two significant obstacles might |
| alone dumps millions of pounds of earth warming | | | | doom a new nuclear drive and stand in the way of |
| greenhouse gasses into, what appears, is a fragile | | | | an energy-independent United States. |
| atmosphere, every day. Just warming up the | | | | However, there are new technologies in this field |
| atmosphere a couple of degrees on average has | | | | that, like the cavalry, have come to our rescue- and |
| significant impact. Look no further than last year's | | | | none too soon. First, there is a new class of nuclear |
| hurricane season. The worst on record. And... | | | | reactors that have their nuclear fuel so structured |
| (2) let's not forget its close cousin; smog pollution, | | | | that they cannot do a melt down. Turn off the |
| which adds to respiratory problems and other health | | | | cooling to this new nuclear reactor and it only gets a |
| conditions, not to mention the visual blight hanging | | | | bit hotter. No big deal. Turn the cooling back on and it |
| over our cities as well. In addition... | | | | runs more efficiently. Okay, one down. But what |
| (3) have you filled your tank recently? Paid the | | | | about all that radioactive spent reactor fuel? Let's |
| heating bill? The cost of all fossil fuels, even coal has | | | | see if we can put some perspective on it. If you |
| increased significantly. As other emerging economies | | | | gathered all the spent nuclear fuel in this country |
| such as China and India vie for ever more limited | | | | under one roof it would fill a typical high school gym. |
| resources, all bets are that the costs will continue to | | | | Not too unmanageable. Moreover, the spent fuel is |
| climb over the long haul. Moreover... | | | | encapsulated in super strong glass beads, which in |
| (4) as we import most of our oil nowadays- we are | | | | turn are embedded into hardened concrete inside |
| increasingly held hostage to an unstable supply from | | | | steel drums. This makes the waste product |
| a number of countries that we, for whatever | | | | "transportable" and is designed to withstand the |
| reasons, are increasingly unpopular with. The end | | | | elements for 10,000 years. Nevertheless, even in it's |
| game? If our supply of oil is not first arbitrarily cut | | | | tomb it is still relativity radioactive. Most of these |
| off, as it becomes increasingly scarce the price will | | | | drums are stored in water as radiation cannot |
| rise until our growth is strangled. In either case we | | | | penetrate more than about 3 feet of water. |
| will feel impelled to engage in war with other rising | | | | However, no one seems anxious to have it in their |
| powers to secure our supplies. | | | | back yards. A political hot potato to be sure. |
| The bottom line: Fossil fuels are not only hazardous | | | | But while our politicians don't have the answer, the |
| to our health (and the planet's) but may in fact be | | | | earth does. The answer lies in the bottom of the |
| hazardous to the American way of life. | | | | Marianas Trench in the Pacific. It is the deepest place |
| But if energy is the lifeblood of our economy what | | | | in the ocean (over seven miles) and one of the |
| are we to do? Wind? Solar? While anything we can | | | | fastest moving subduction plates on earth. If the |
| do other than consume fossil fuels will help, these | | | | drums of waste were placed in the bottom of the |
| sources of energy are relatively diffuse and | | | | trench, they would, within a few hundred years, be |
| inconsistent. In other words, their "cost to calorie" | | | | swallowed up into the bowels of the earth and blend |
| ratios are not efficient and they are not always | | | | into the earth's core where heat and pressure |
| dependable. As James Kunstler points out in his | | | | (caused in part by radioactive substances contained |
| intriguing book The Long Emergency, one of our best | | | | within the earth) rendered insignificant. |
| options out of these dilemmas is to do an "Apollo | | | | Given the current geopolitical situation, which only |
| Project" type effort to develop additional, new | | | | seems to be working to our disadvantage, limited |
| nuclear energy capability. As it turns out, it just may | | | | resources for cheap fossil fuels, not to mention the |
| be the greenest, viable alternate we have. | | | | environmental impacts we are starting to experience, |
| The U.S. currently produces about 20% of its | | | | it is time we take drastic measures to get us off our |
| electrical power from nuclear power. The advantages | | | | fossil fuel addition. Let's hope we are not too late. |
| are; that there are no greenhouse emissions into the | | | | |