Energy -
What's the U.K's Problem?
Climate change may or may not be caused by humans - we don't know. But we are
looking at the wrong problem.
In the UK, energy is about to run out. In ten years, a third of our
power stations will be shut down - either worn out or failing to meet
EU emission standards. By that time, oil prices are likely to be much
higher. Perhaps we should be leaving what remains of North Sea Oil in
the ground so our children and grandchildren can use it - or sell it.
You need a wind farm the size of Greater Manchester to match
the output of one nuclear power station. A wind farm stops generating
when the wind stops blowing. Government and environmentalist claims
about what wind energy can do are inaccurate and misleading - a cynic might
say deliberately misleading.
As for hydro power, if you
want to build a plant one thousandth the size (in energy terms) of a nuclear
power station in - say -Scotland, forget it ... for the past year, two
bureaucracies have been arguing about which of them should grant
planning permission.
The UK needs to start building nuclear power stations, now.
We need proven technology. We don't want new designs, or ten-year
planning inquiries. Nuclear power does not emit carbon dioxide. The
French, 80 percent nuclear, have half the UK's carbon footprint. They
also have a stable energy supply, and the prospect of known future
energy costs for their industries.
Here's Stern's policy on nuclear power: "We argue that a portfolio of
technologies will be needed".
How are our manufacturers
going to compete when they are existing on imported, expensive energy?
The current media hype on climate change is dangerous because
it is distracting the politicians from what really needs doing. If we
are to have a stable electricity supply in the UK over the next
decade, we need nuclear power stations - and whilst we're about it,
re-forestation wouldn't be a bad idea.
What's actually happening - money
spent on wind turbines which will not meet our energy needs
(massive sums - enough for several nuclear power stations at current prices
), EU paying farmers not to plant
trees or anything else; natural gas being burned away at an ever
increasing rate. And, incidentally, larger amounts of
agricultural land are being used for anything but agriculture ...
golf courses, dumping of rubbish, leisure activities. The government's
word for this is "diversification".
If present policies continue along with the current hype, we won't
just be importing our energy; we'll be importing most of our food
as well. That can't be good for the future stability of this country.
