Dutton’s nuclear reactors are the latest climate delay
Solutions for Climate Australia Media Release
Climate advocacy organisation Solutions for Climate Australia today called on the Federal Liberal and National Parties to release policies that would reduce climate pollution this decade, not talk up unproven nuclear reactors.
‘We are deeply concerned that the Federal Coalition parties are promoting nuclear reactors and other dangerous distractions that cannot reduce climate pollution this decade. We don’t need expensive, far-off possibilities that would produce radioactive waste if they were ever built. Australia urgently needs clean renewable energy to reduce global warming,’ said Director of Solutions for Climate, Dr. Barry Traill.
‘Australians are also facing a cost-of-living crisis, with energy bills leaving families unable to cool their homes in rising heat. Electricity produced by nuclear reactors is the most expensive, while electricity from wind and solar is the cheapest*. We can address the twin crises of cost of living and climate change with transformative investments in renewable energy.
‘The Federal Coalition proposal for nuclear reactors is a delay tactic. They have declared they plan to keep burning coal and gas until an unknown time in the future when nuclear reactors may come online. But international examples show huge delays and cost blow outs on large reactors. To give just one example – the latest British large-scale nuclear reactor is £17 billion over budget and now six years beyond its planned finish date. If it’s ever completed it will be the most expensive power station in the world.
‘Viable small-scale modular nuclear reactors – which Mr. Dutton is now selling as the climate solution – literally don’t exist. Anywhere in the world. There are a few prototypes in Russia and in China. But attempts to make them commercially in the United States keep failing because of their huge cost.
‘To say small modular nuclear reactors offer a solution to replacing polluting coal and gas power stations is like saying that flying cars are a solution to congested roads. That governments can now stop fixing roads, because a flying car salesperson has a plan for a cheap model…. sometime in the 2040s.
‘We have just been through another summer of extreme weather, with Australians killed and communities scarred and damaged by fires, heatwaves, floods and storms. Many people and communities already hit hard by inequality – especially rural communities, Indigenous communities and lower income suburbs – are now experiencing terrible risks and real losses because of climate change.
‘We cannot understand why Federal Coalition leaders now regularly attack solar and wind energy projects. This campaigning by Federal Coalition leaders is in contrast to most of their state Liberal and National Party colleagues, who are largely supporting renewable powered industries.
‘Australia has vast advantages over other countries with our solar and wind resources. This will provide and support the industry and jobs we need.
‘The Liberal-National Coalition lost the last federal election in large part because of weak policies on climate and renewable energy. They will repeat this loss at the next election if their climate policy continues to be set by denialists who push distractions such as nuclear reactors.
‘For a safe future for our children and their children, we call on Mr. Dutton and Mr. Littleproud to change course: To publicly acknowledge the science that climate change is occurring. To reject nuclear reactors and other distractions. To instead develop policies that rapidly reduce climate emissions by replacing coal and gas, with cheap, clean, renewable energy so our world-leading industries can prosper and our households can thrive,’ finished Dr. Traill.
*Lazard LCOE version 16- chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.lazard.com/media/typdgxmm/lazards-lcoeplus-april-2023.pdf
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10 comments
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Douglas Pritchard
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paul walter
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Phil Pryor
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Pete Petrass
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Terence Mills
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pierre wilkinson
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paul walter
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Andrew Smith
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wam
Return to home pageDuttons half life is 2 years in the job whereas U235 has a half life of 700 million years, but it looks like he is not aware of this.
Living with stupid is a worry.
There has been much lunacy And I wonder if this doesn’t fit in with the general approach elsewhere outlined by Lucy Hamilton elsewhere.
Same ruthless aversion to syllogism, same antipathy to legitimate but inconvenient points offered regardless of having been backed with documented fact or not.
Dutton is not the first politicians to fall foul of reason, whose anti fact arguments seem generated when involving monied interests.
What is sad is that these advocate for a daftness despite likely understanding how faulty the arguments can be and the harm to be caused by a biased decision, persevere in undermining a sensible position. An example is being played out in the Mid East right now and you have to wonder at wilful perversions of reason in dark causes.
Do people remember the old “Emperor has no Clothes” fable, where wilful refusal of reality leads to enormous embarrassment when someone finally proves the real fact?
The prudent professional qualified classes in Australia often are conservative, but are totally betrayed by having an oaf of no intellectual capacity in office to do a job requiring, decency, ability, experience, honesty, integrity, skills. Hah. Dutton? Never.
The above media release should be emailed to every non-LNP politician in the country, they should keep a copy in their pocket and use it to quote at every press opportunity, if only to wake up all those morons who soak up the Murdoch/Dutton dribble like big sponges. Everything I have read to date indicates power generated by nuclear will cost at least 5-10 times renewable energy. And that is before you even get started on the mindblowing cost and length of time (decades) to build nuclear. The above article succinctly details all the valid reasons why nuclear is not and never will be a viable option for Australia. Above all else someone in the media (there must actually be some non-Murdoch types left out there) must at every opportunity question anyone and everyone from the LNP on their “energy policy” details. Australians need details – where will they be located, how much will they cost, how long to build, what happens to the waste, what energy will be utilised while nuclear is being built, etc, etc. They could even ask their little 16yo nuclear poster boy who, in true LNP fashion talks up nuclear really big but slithers away from any details. Bottom line is the LNP/Murdoch scum need to be publicly called out on the massive fraud that is their energy policy and nuclear.
There is a lot of talk about how Canada is racing ahead with its roll out of Small Modular Reactors and certainly a pilot program is underway. But so far the Canadian Government have allocated only $29.6 million to Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) over four years for research and development (R&D) to support the conditions and frameworks necessary for SMRs.
In the meantime the Canada Infrastructure Bank provided $970 million in financing for the Darlington Small Modular Reactor, which will be one of the first commercial SMRs in the world.
That’s close to one billion Canadian dollars for just one SMR so perhaps we should see how that works out before we swallow too much of Spud’s Kool-Aid but, the media should grill him on the details of what he has in mind for Australia. We’ve had enough of his thought bubbles that he calls policy initiatives
https://www.canada.ca/en/natural-resources-canada/news/2023/02/canada-launches-new-small-modular-reactor-funding-program.html
Methinks Herr Kipfler is hatching a cunning plot wherein he will snaffle the incoming Aukus subs and make them mobile and land based – thus creating our very own “new Liberal SMRs” with the added convenience that he can announce their arrival 10 tears before they are even remotely close to being delivered and blame Labor for any delays.
Terrence Mills
and also by pointing out the diversionray and divisive nature of Dutton’ s Hobbesian dog in the manger politics.
However, for context listen to social and community narratives as to how effective the converse and negative messaging of renewable sources, solar panels, wind, EVs etc. have been (without global comparison), then allowing nuclear solutions to be entertained.
Too often crosses the board of LNP and ALP supporters (in bush especially), like ‘immigration’, by those less educated and low info, but a bit narcissistic and opinionated i.e. beliefs prevailing over science.
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Beauty, Petrass, Dutton has dozens of autocue ‘journalists to spout his propaganda. and every media radio and tv outlets to spread his controversies, his ‘NO’ strategies and his catchphrase propaganda. Albo only has live’ morning shows to rely on. But the best ‘live is through the branches giving the people direct access to info against dutton, the nats and the lying libs which counters the media version. Info produced in a form that can be learnt and used at bbqs, parties, meetings, interviews and letters.
ps Douglas, if dutton gets elected the damage he could do would take U235 half life to fix.