[Terrapreta] Carbon emissions: only part of the picture

[dyarrow at nycap.rr.com]

here in america, we still pursue a plan to bury nuclear waste on an 
indian reservation under a mountain crisscrossed with geological 
faults.  certainly a non-solution.  anyone who thinks nuclear power is 
a solution to CO2 emissions has a completely illogical, uninformed 
brain.  but hey, that sort of intellectual dysfunction and illogical 
reasoning never stopped much before.

at any rate, fact is the nuclear fuel cycle is not carbon neutral.  
mining, refining and reprocessing uranium ore into fuel pellets and 
rods is an highly energy intensive technology.  building nuclear 
generation plants is also energy intensive.  i mean -- hello? -- does 
anybody count how much CO2 is released making cement and concrete?

and then there are those massive cooling towers.  does anybody compute 
the waste heat released into the water systems and atmosphere as a 
factor in global warming?  maybe that waste heat is carbon-neutral, 
but it ain't thermal negative.  just ask the fish.

the real issue here is not a question of technology -- like what kind 
of energy production we will have.  the real issue we face is moral -- 
how much energy energy do we want to consume to support our own 
presence on this planet.  how much is enough?  current practices are a 
horrific form of energy gluttony.

more is better, but less is best.  leave some for future generations.  
leave something for the millions of other living species that are part 
of the marvelous, mysterious web of life.

david

----- Original Message -----
From: Jim Joyner <jimstoy at dtccom.net>
Date: Monday, December 31, 2007 9:07 am
Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Carbon emissions show sharp rise
To: 'terrapreta' <terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>

> Duane Pendergast wrote:
> > . . . If near zero carbon dioxide emission nuclear
> > energy can help in the overall system - why not? 
> >
> > Duane
> Duane . . . uh . . . not throw cold water on . . . but there is 
> this 
> little problem we are having with nuclear waste, that has become a 
> political foorball . . . and gov'ts that insist on taking the 
> liability 
> for the the companies that create nuclear power, who in return 
> don't 
> have to be the carefullest people in the world.
> 
> Jim
> 
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