The Right Reverend George Cassidy, Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham has claimed that building nuclear power stations near to cities could be one of the best ways to contend with the problem of climate change.
The Bishop, speaking to the House of Lords, called upon the Government to look at alternative energy systems and to provide clear incentives for businesses to reduce the level of their emissions.He claimed that the development of technology and the environmental benefits of nuclear energy were a sound basis for the construction of more nuclear power stations.
Bishop Cassidy said that: “The environmental cost is reduced and the efficiency of energy is greatly increased if the energy does not need to travel...This could be the case for nuclear power stations close to cities.”
He continued: “We should be in a position to open more nuclear power stations now, whereas renewable technology is still in its infancy by comparison. If the problem needs a solution urgently, nuclear power may be the way to go.”
However, the Bishop acknowledged that there were still issues that were unsolved by nuclear energy, claiming that the problem of nuclear waste was far more serious than the possibility of a disaster such as the Chernobyl meltdown in 1986 or a terrorist attack.
“Claims that highly toxic spent uranium fuel rods can be made safe have not been fulfilled yet,” the Bishop said.He continued expressing his fears that if the problem was not solved, future generations could be left with “a deadly legacy”.
There is also the fact that sources of uranium are quite limited, it is believed that current sources could have run out in thirty to forty years.
The Bishop claimed that nuclear fusion could be an effective solution, but conceded that the technology was relatively new and that there are unanswered questions regarding the containing of such large amounts of energy.
Bishop Cassidy referred to a number of experts on the issue of climate change who have called upon the government to set policy and develop the necessary market levers to encourage investment into the right infrastructure and technology.
A number of scientists have predicted that there will be massive change in the environment in the next twenty or fifty years. The Bishop however, said that individuals can fight climate change simply by living simpler lives and constraining human greed.
“There are profound ethical issues concerning energy,” he concluded.
