Here is a snippet from this article on Earth Day, written by Robert Keane, collumnist for Investment Advisor Magazine:
The Green Advisor: Earth Day Revisited
“April 2010 will mark the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day….
…As has often been stated in this column, one of the biggest challenges facing the global economy is finding sustainable and affordable sources of energy. The problem of meeting the planet’s energy needs is inseparable from the problems facing the environment. Even those who pooh-pooh the idea of climate change caused to some degree by man-made carbon emissions can get behind the idea of cheap and clean energy. Some of that will likely come from further development of wind and solar power, but there are also tremendous opportunities afforded by applying new thinking and new technologies to energy sources we already have.Yes Nukes
There’s no doubt that as a society we face challenges, some of which seem insurmountable, but the optimist in me says the same has been true in every age and some of my recent reading gives me cause for some optimism about our energy future. Let’s start with nuclear power, which is finding a renewed acceptance in the U.S.In February the Obama Administration announced $8.3 billion in loan guarantees to build two new nuclear reactors in Georgia. The 2011 Obama budget would triple—to $54.5 billion—the amount available for loan guarantees for nuclear construction. In announcing the loans, President Obama noted that the new reactors would reduce carbon pollution by 16 million tons a year, compared with a similar coal-powered plant.
The biggest problem with nuclear power has always been the radioactive waste it produces. New technology has been developed for nuclear waste recycling in France (which never abandoned its nuclear programs and generates more than 75% of its electricity from nuclear power) reportedly offering the potential for getting more energy out of the same nuclear material, thereby producing less waste…”
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