Nuclear power should be last resort: FlanneryClimate change scientist and Australian of the Year Tim Flannery says nuclear power should only be a last resort for tackling global warming. The Federal Government is planning to lift bans on nuclear power and remove impediments to uranium mining and exports. Dr Flannery has been a long-time critic of the Federal Government's climate change policies
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He says there are many undesirable attributes to nuclear power.
"I just think you take a three-fold approach, first let's get as [energy] efficient as we can, secondly use our local power sources, the renewables - whether they be geothermal or wind - which we've got excellent sources of here in this country, of solar, and then if we still have a deficit, yes we can look at nuclear power," he said.
But he says in some places, like Ontario in Canada, nuclear power is their only option at the moment to create power and reduce greenhouse gases.
"It's done a great job with efficiency gains, it's plugged into as much local renewable energy as it can and it still finds itself with a deficit," he said.
"Now they're in a position where they've got to make a decision between conventional coal at the moment or expanding their nuclear capacity.
"In that particular situation where they've already got existing nuclear power plants I would be a strong advocate for them going down the nuclear route because conventional coal burning we now know is so dangerous."
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