(Note: this is reposted from the NYT op-ed page)
On Nov 16, 2013, at 1:46 PM, Shane Mage wrote:
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> Zhao Zhong, a former nuclear engineer at the Chinese Academy of
> Sciences, is the China program coordinator at Pacific Environment,
> an environmental group.
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> I agree that we should move away from our dependence on greenhouse
> gas-emitting fossil fuels at a faster pace and find replacements for
> our energy needs at magnitudes much greater than current expectations.
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> Championing one technology, though, is a distraction. There’s little
> to be gained in engaging folks in a “solar versus nuclear” battle.
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> The single most important thing we must do is place a high price, or
> a strict cap, on carbon emissions to make fossil fuel energy less
> attractive when compared to other energy sources. We are at the
> beginning stages of capping coal in China but much more needs to be
> done. If we price coal and other fossil fuels to capture their true
> costs, it will immediately make all the alternatives to fossil fuels
> more competitive and drive innovations in the clean energy sector.
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> In China there is huge room for growth in energy efficiency, solar
> and wind. Nuclear might have a role too, but I predict that it will
> be more limited than what these climate scientists were suggesting
> in their recent appeal.
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> Nuclear has problems. To many of us in China and nearby regions, the
> Fukushima accident was a huge wake-up call on the dangers of nuclear
> power. First it set off a panic about food safety as millions rushed
> to grocery stores to buy salt, which helps to prevent illnesses
> associated with radiation. But more important, we realized that
> nuclear power creates serious environmental justice burdens: nearby
> communities face hugely disproportionate risks from a nuclear
> catastrophe. Nuclear energy itself is also not as low carbon as
> people think when you factor in true lifecycle costs, including
> mining uranium.
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> I’d rather see our society focus on new technologies and policy
> incentives that promote the many safer, truly clean forms of energy.
> But it all starts with pricing fossil fuels out of the market.
> That’s the first step and the most important one.
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