Sunday, January 2, 2022

Europe copying US' bad habits: greenwashing nuclear power and natural gas!

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/02/business/europe-green-investments-nuclear-natural-gas.html

Europe Plans to Say Nuclear Power and Natural Gas Are Green Investments

The draft proposal could help unleash a wave of investment, but critics say both sources of energy cause damage to the environment.

The European Union has drawn up plans to classify some nuclear power and natural gas plants as green investments that can help Europe cut planet-warming emissions, a landmark proposal that, if approved, could set off a resurgence of nuclear energy on the continent in the coming decades.

The European Commission said it had begun consultations with European Union countries on the proposal, which is intended to provide a common set of definitions of what constitutes a “sustainable investment” in Europe. Any final plan would be subject to approval by a majority of member states, or by the European Parliament.

“The Commission considers there is a role for natural gas and nuclear as a means to facilitate the transition towards a predominantly renewable-based future,” the statement, released on Saturday, said.

The proposal caps one of the most heated political battles in Europe at a time when its leaders have pledged to pull the planet back from the brink of climate catastrophe. . .

5 comments:

richard jones said...

Lovelock (Gaia Theory) was saying back in the 70's and 80's that nuclear was the only 'green' option; and he was correct... Lovelock was a genuine ecologist... unlike most of the wind/solar tesla driving wanna be townie ecologists of today... Meryl... you are aware that the govt is lying to you about coyid... maybe the mainstream narrative about 'climate crisis' is a crock of dodah too?

Meryl Nass, M.D. said...

Richard, the article had a caveat that is no doubt intended to be ignored. And that caveat is that nuclear can be expanded as long as the waste can be safely disposed of. The waste is generally dangerous for thousands of years, or so I thought, and there has been no safe storage so far. And we don't know how to destroy it.

Which is why the radioactive water from Fukushima, Japan is simply dumped into the Pacific Ocean, good luck. How do you greenwash this problem?



Anonymous said...

Nuclear power is now green??!! I live in California. They are shutting down the last power plant because of the dangers of radioactive waste products and potential damage from future earthquakes. Then there is all that hard work from greenies and Hollywood (think China Syndrome) over the years to make sure we knew all about the dangers of nuclear power. So why the switch?

Emily said...

I suggest looking into the Finnish solution for already existing waste. Better technology and engineering on new facilities will result in less and less hazardous waste. Wind and solar are not nearly as green as they look at first glance. They have lifecycles and disposal, mining, manufacturing matters. Worst is that they simply don't produce enough power, and reliance on them directly equals a substantial reduction in the standard of living for people especially in cold climates (like Maine). Thorium fuel cycle is particularly interesting.

Barry said...

have you seen the glorious way Nature has taken over Chernobyl? And it happened very very quickly... as much as the oil lobby (i refuse to call it 'fossil' fuel because it is simply not... another lie instilled to make it worth more) slanders and smears nuclear, it is still by far the safest and most ecological power production possible... and if invested in properly, it'd have changed the world... hence it's demonisation... i don't get how people think CNN and Discovery and NYT and all that shit, plus the politicians can lie through their teeth on something like coyid... but can be absolutely trusted to tell the truth about 'ecology'... but t'is like i said, most 'greens' have absolutely no idea what so ever about the functioning of Nature/this planet... the enivitable downside of urbanisation and the power of 'religion'