Yellow cake ok with Howard, as long as the price is right
Environmentalists have reacted with dismay to comments by Prime Minister John Howard that he has “no hang ups at all” about exploring the possibility of switching to nuclear energy, if it becomes economically viable. With oil stocks starting to run out, it’s no surprise that politicians are starting to suggest alternatives to fossil fuels. But high costs and problems of how to deal with radioactive waste and the dangers of potential nuclear reactor accidents – like the one that occurred at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union – has made environmentalists and economists alike critical about considering nuclear energy as an oil alternative. The Wire spoke to Ian Hore Lacey, the Manager of the Melbourne-based Uranium Information centre and Tasmanian Greens Senator Christine Milne.