Spring Break
Nuclear expert to address CSU
Jim Sojourner
Issue date: 10/15/08 Section: News
This failure of communication, she said, can be attributed to a number of factors, including the secrecy that has long surrounded nuclear power, negative portrayals in entertainment, and an unwillingness to explain nuclear by the scientists who work with it.
"Nuclear is a very good plot device," Cravens said, laughing, "There are a lot of reasons for this 'us vs. them' mentality."Cravens said she hopes to explain away this mentality with the presentation of facts about nuclear and other "clean" energy sources.
She said she hopes to dispel some of the following common misconceptions:
Radiation is extremely dangerous and can kill a person
A nuclear plant can explode like a nuclear bomb
We do not have a clue what to do with the waste
Radioactive waste is long-lived
"My motive is to talk to people of every stripe," Cravens said. "I had people come up to me and say, 'You completely changed my mind.'"
However, Eric Sutherland, a Fort Collins resident, is not convinced.
While Sutherland was not concerned with the common fears that surround nuclear power, he did take issue with it being billed as a clean energy. "Nuclear energy is not a clean energy source," Sutherland said. "It's not a zero-emission technology, not by a long shot."
Sutherland said the amount of greenhouse gases produced in the mining and processing of uranium, construction of the plant, and even the commuters to and from the plants use fossil fuel power, and added that no one knows how much energy will be necessary to process spent fuel rods.
The Union of Concerned Scientists and Natural Resources Defense Council have both issued statements against using nuclear to solve climate change, Sutherland said.
He said that nuclear power would ultimately reduce emissions if it were to replace existing fossil fuel plants, but will not be particularly effective if they are just built to compensate for a growing power demand.
"Is it better than coal?" Sutherland asked. "Well yes. Everything is better than coal."
Senior Reporter Jim Sojourner can be reached at news@collegian.com.
"Nuclear is a very good plot device," Cravens said, laughing, "There are a lot of reasons for this 'us vs. them' mentality."Cravens said she hopes to explain away this mentality with the presentation of facts about nuclear and other "clean" energy sources.
She said she hopes to dispel some of the following common misconceptions:
Radiation is extremely dangerous and can kill a person
A nuclear plant can explode like a nuclear bomb
We do not have a clue what to do with the waste
Radioactive waste is long-lived
"My motive is to talk to people of every stripe," Cravens said. "I had people come up to me and say, 'You completely changed my mind.'"
However, Eric Sutherland, a Fort Collins resident, is not convinced.
While Sutherland was not concerned with the common fears that surround nuclear power, he did take issue with it being billed as a clean energy. "Nuclear energy is not a clean energy source," Sutherland said. "It's not a zero-emission technology, not by a long shot."
Sutherland said the amount of greenhouse gases produced in the mining and processing of uranium, construction of the plant, and even the commuters to and from the plants use fossil fuel power, and added that no one knows how much energy will be necessary to process spent fuel rods.
The Union of Concerned Scientists and Natural Resources Defense Council have both issued statements against using nuclear to solve climate change, Sutherland said.
He said that nuclear power would ultimately reduce emissions if it were to replace existing fossil fuel plants, but will not be particularly effective if they are just built to compensate for a growing power demand.
"Is it better than coal?" Sutherland asked. "Well yes. Everything is better than coal."
Senior Reporter Jim Sojourner can be reached at news@collegian.com.
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