Watch It

To the Editor:

Charlie Barber’s nuclear genie is replete with repeated myths that are systematically untrue. The facts show that nuclear power cannot meet heating and transport needs. While nuclear power accounted for 15% of the electricity produced worldwide in 2006, contributing 6% of primary energy production, it only provided 2.4% of final energy consumption by consumers.

Those who praise France are the same people who used to rave on Japanese nuclear plants—until last month’s disastrous earthquake and tsunami. The genie lauds France, but shows no data to corroborate his erroneous praise.

Granted nuclear power in France provides 79% of electricity produced in 2007, however overall contribution of nuclear power to France’s final energy consumption is only in the range of 14%. France’s nuclear program has not reduced oil dependence. Over 70% of France’s final energy is provided by fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal), with oil accounting for 49% of the energy consumption in 2007.

Fact: nuclear does not significantly displace fossil fuels. It does little to reduce fossil fuel CO2 emissions.

The genie says nuclear is needed to reduce global warming.

Consider this. Even if more than tripled, nuclear power’s contribution to total emission reductions in the energy sector would be only 6% in 2050 (i.e. 3.5% of total greenhouse gas savings) – far behind the contribution of energy savings through conservation and efficiency (54%) and of that offered by renewable energy solutions (at least 21%).

The genie sees no feasible alternative to nuclear power.

Lester Brown and The World Resources Institute have been crunching the numbers for more than a quarter of a century. Real plans with achievable outcomes—by the numbers with real data and real technologies. Several other unrelated sources provide similar results. Alternative energy, conservation and efficiencies do meet the target.

The nuclear genie reminds me of the childish behavior of putting fingers in the ears so one doesn’t hear the evidence.

Everyone has the right to opinion and free speech, but there is no inherent right to distort facts. In fact, yelling fire in the crowded theater is prohibited by commonsense and law. Take the genie and keep him/her in the bottle where genies belong. Scientists become frustrated by the continual lying and distortion of the data. Genie Baloney is not a free speech issue, HPR. Take it off your pages. The “press” believes that by presenting a dissenting view they have served the public. That is false logic when to comes to global warming. The climate change deniers have had sticks put in their ears by the Phoney Baloney.

-David Givers
Moorhead MN