“My support for nuclear power is based on two assessments which I believe are very well-supported by the evidence.
First, that modern societies are inherently energy-intensive and it is not possible to significantly reduce global demand for energy, particularly given the ongoing increases in global human population and desire from a social justice standpoint to bring a level of material comfort to the billions of people who lack the basic securities that we take for granted in the UK.
Second, that it is exactly this tremendous gift granted to us in the free consumption of energy that also is a primary cause of increases in greenhouse gas emissions which threaten climactic stability directly and civilisational continuity indirectly. Continuing on the path of climactic instability that we are on leads to self-inflicted catastrophe.
The only way I can find a way to reconcile these two assessments is that humanity has the potential to generate colossal, gigantic amounts of clean energy to replace fossil fuels. We must go to whatever lengths necessary to get to negative emissions because it’s an existential threat.
So if you had a magic wand and invented a technology today that promise the lowest carbon footprint of any energy source, the highest density of power to fuel, able to produce vast quantities of electricity 24/7 day and night, using all the existing infrastructure we have put in place, and creating only tremendously small amounts of extremely well-controlled waste – well, you would spend any money you could to get hold of it.”
Matt Stratford – Chair, Greenwich and Bexley Green Party
