Nuclear power is not the answer to climate change'

1
Nuclear power is not the answer to climate
change.

• A presentation by the Medical Association for
  Prevention of War

www.mapw.org.au Created by Courtney Deans, La
Trobe University, 2008 supported by Dr Bill
Williams (MAPW) and Dr Jim Green (FoE).
2

Contents

• Climate change overview
• The nuclear fuel chain
• Problems with nuclear power
• Alternative energy sources
• Australia's responsibilities
• References

3
Scientists have warned us . . . The planet has
warned us . . .

• Climate change is here . . .

4
What is climate change?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gases naturally
warm the surface of the planet by trapping solar
heat in the atmosphere Climate change occurs
when human activity causes an increase in CO2 and
other gas emissions More emissions mean more heat
is trapped in the atmosphere, making the earths
temperature rise. This is called the
greenhouse effect
5
The Greenhouse Effect
Human activity is producing MORE greenhouse gases
trapping MORE heat and causing the Earths
temperature rise
To support life, the Earth needs some greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere to trap heat from the sun
6

• Effects of climate change in Australia
• More bushfires
• Longer and more frequent droughts
• Spread of weeds and pests
• Destruction of the Great Barrier Reef
• Damage to coastal areas
• Loss of indigenous plants and animals
• Expansion of deserts

7
Effects of climate change around the world

• Rise in sea levels
• Pollution of sea water with fresh water
• Extinction of many plant and animal species
• More natural disasters
• Water shortage
• Loss of agriculture
• Spread of tropical disease

8
Human costs of climate change
Climate refugees Millions of internally
displaced people Food shortages International
credit crisis Job losses Collapse of nations
9
(No Transcript)
10
How can we stop climate change?

• What is desperately needed is a reduction in CO2
  emissions, by using less energy and cleaner
  sources.
• Nuclear power can only reduce carbon emissions
  from electricity generation. But electricity
  made by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas)
  makes up only 68.9 of total ENERGY use and
  produces just 34.4 of Australias emissions.

NUCLEAR POWER IS NOT THE ANSWER . . .
11
Nuclear power is NOT the answer to climate change

• MYTHS
• Myth 1 Nuclear power is safe...
• Myth 2 Nuclear power is clean...
• Myth 3 Nuclear power will stop climate change...
• Myth 5 Nuclear power is not wasteful...

12
Nuclear power is NOT the answer to climate change

• TRUTHS
• Nuclear power is unsafe.
• Nuclear power relies heavily on fossil fuels.
• Nuclear power only aims to replace
  electricity-generation CO2 emission.
• Nuclear power creates waste rock, waste water
  and toxic nuclear waste.

13
The nuclear fuel chain
14
Nuclear PowerHow power is created

• The heat produced from the enriched uranium is
  used to turn water into steam

• This steam rotates a turbine and produces
  electricity

15
Nuclear PowerMining and Milling

• Uranium is mined and extracted from rock. The
  uranium rock is trucked to mills where it is
  crushed and chemically treated to extract
  uranium.
• 1 tonne of uranium leaves 666 tonnes of rock
  waste

Uranium 1 tonne
Rock waste 666 tonnes

16
Nuclear PowerUranium Enrichment

• Milled uranium goes through a number of changes.
  From a solid into gas, then a liquid, which
  solidifies and is then enriched and fabricated
  ready for use in nuclear energy plants
• The enrichment process creates a by-product
  depleted uranium (DU). DU is radioactive and
  dangerous. DU is used in ammunition and armoured
  vehicles

17
Nuclear Power Spent fuel

• After a year in the core (depending on the
  reactor) the fuel becomes more hazardous and is
  removed from the power station
• Spent nuclear fuel is cooled and stored using
  remote access
• There is currently NO satisfactory permanent
  solution to managing spent nuclear fuel

18
Water Wastage
Nuclear power is the most water intensive of all
energy sources
Wind
Solar 0.11 litres per kWh
0.004 litres per kWh
Nuclear power 2.3 litres per kWh
(kWh kilo Watt hour)
19
Water Wastage

• Mining and milling require large volumes of water
  to extract the minerals
• Australias Olympic Dam mine uses
• 35 million litres of water per day
• This may exceed 160 million litres per day in
  future expansions
• Nuclear reactors are highly water intensive.
  Reactors typically consume
• 35-65 million litres of water per day

20
Every stage of the nuclear fuel chain depends on
fossil fuelsCREATING CO2 EMISSIONS Mining
milling CO2 Transport CO2Power station
construction operation CO2 Enrichment
CO2More transport CO2Waste disposal
CO2Decommissioning CO2Emission estimates vary
due to the characteristics of each power plant.
Estimation of the fuel chain CO2 emissions range
from 2 and 40 kg Co2-e/MWh
21
Waste Issues
Every stage of the nuclear power cycle produces
waste Mining and milling rock and water waste.
Also dust and radioactive gases from
mining Enrichment depleted uranium Power
Station water, and spent nuclear fuel. A typical
reactor produces 25-30 tones of spent nuclear
fuel annually. About 12,000 to 14,000 tones of
spent fuel are produced by power reactors around
the world each year.
22
Waste Issues Spent Nuclear Fuel
Spent nuclear fuel is the most dangerous
by-product of nuclear power. The nuclear fuel is
so dangerous it must be isolated from people and
the environment for thousands and thousands of
years. For as long as nuclear power has
existed, there has been the problem of what to do
with the spent fuel. In 2008 there still remains
NO guaranteed safe solution.
23
Some people have suggested using the Australian
outback as a dump site for dangerous nuclear
waste products
We must prevent this
24
Political Problems

• Uranium for power plants can be diverted to
  weapons manufacturing
• Nuclear power was born of the weapons race - the
  two are intrinsically linked via
• expertise,
• infrastructure,
• research and
• the fuel itself

25
Safeguards

• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was
  created under the charter of the
  Non-Proliferation Treaty. The IAEA has two
  fundamental, but potentially conflicting,
  objectives
• To prevent diversion from civilian to military
  nuclear applications
• To promote the expansion of civil nuclear power
• BUT inspections rely on voluntary cooperation of
  states
• Egypt, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Romania, South
  Korea, Taiwan and Yugoslavia are 8 NPT countries
  that have carried out weapons related projects in
  violation of NPT agreements.
• Israel, India and Pakistan have developed nuclear
  weapons outside the NPT

26
Political Problems

• States possessing increased nuclear capabilities
  are perceived as threats by other states
• These fearful states may then seek safety by
  increasing their own nuclear capabilities
• The threat of nuclear proliferation works against
  the tremendous efforts of disarmament
• Nuclear power plants are prime terrorist targets
  

27
A nuclear disaster will not hit at the speed of
a glacier melting. It will hit with a blast. It
will not hit with the speed of the atmosphere
warming but of a city burning. Clearly, the
attention focused on nuclear weapons should be as
prominent as that of global climate change -
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
28
Health Issues

• Radiation damages DNA, leading to cancer, chronic
  disease, congenital defects and potentially to
  inherited health effects.
• Recent studies demonstrate that living close to a
  nuclear power station increases the risk of
  children developing leukaemia.

There is NO safe dose of ionising radiation
29
Health Issues Nuclear Accidents

Since nuclear power beganlt there have been

• Numerous accidents or malfunctions in the core,
  many of them fatal
• Numerous near misses
• Numerous accidents involving other stages of the
  nuclear fuel cycle, in many different countries

30
Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster, April 1986

• Unknown number of related deaths estimates vary
  between 6,000 to over 90,000
• 8.4 million people exposed to radiation across
  Europe
• Relocation of 400,000 people
• Contamination of 150,000 sq kms
• Dramatic increase of cancers (34 times as much
  thyroid cancer)
• 2003 Ukraine government registers 100,000
  individuals with disabilities connected with
  Chernobyl disaster

31
(No Transcript)
32
Estimates indicate a probability of 1 in 10,000
for a accident involving the nuclear core, per
reactor per year Any risk of nuclear accident is
unacceptable
33
Clean Energy

• There are many clean energy alternative
  available that may reduce current CO2 emissions
  and keep our planet healthy for the future.
• Energy efficiency
• Solar energy (photovoltaics)
• Wind energy

34
Australias role in nuclear power

• Nuclear power is currently prohibited in
  Australia
• Kevin Rudd does NOT plan to pursue nuclear energy

BUT nuclear power is a BIG concerns for
Australians . . .
35
Australias role in nuclear power

• Australia has a large reserves of uranium and
  exports it to several nations, including nuclear
  weapons states
• Australia has NO guarantee our uranium will not
  end up in weapons
• Many Aboriginal people have resisted uranium
  mining and dumping of radioactive waste on their
  land. Taking care of the land is an important
  cultural tradition

36
If nuclear power is the answer, it must
have been a pretty stupid question Professor
Ian Lowe