Bush, Howard Back Nuke Power Ahead APEC Summit
Date: 06-Sep-07
Country: AUSTRALIA
Author: Michael Perry
"If you truly care about greenhouse gases, then you'll
support nuclear power," Bush told a news conference with
Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Wednesday.
"After all, nuclear power enables you to generate
electricity without any greenhouse gases."
Australia has made climate change a major issue for the 21
leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit
this week in Sydney.
Howard backs nuclear energy in the fight against climate
change, but Australia has no nuclear power plants and there is
widespread public opposition to nuclear power in Australia.
During a bilateral meeting on Wednesday, Howard and Bush
agreed to a "joint nuclear energy action plan" involving
cooperation on civil nuclear energy, including research and
development, and technical training.
Howard also said Australia would join the US-sponsored
Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, under which member countries
agree to supply fuel for nuclear power plants.
Australia has 40 percent of the world's known reserves of
uranium and exports uranium to 36 countries.
NUCLEAR DUMP
Green groups said Australia would become a nuclear waste
dumping ground if it joined the partnership, although the
government said the plan would not affect a long-standing
policy of not accepting other countries' radioactive waste.
"Joining this global nuclear club will leave a toxic legacy
for generations of Australians without solving dangerous
climate change," said Greenpeace's Steve Shallhorn.
Australia recently ended a ban on uranium sales to India,
reversing a policy of selling the nuclear fuel only to
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatories.
Australia is currently negotiating safeguards for A$250
million (US$205 million) worth of uranium exports to Beijing and
is expected to agree to sell uranium to Moscow after holding
talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at APEC.
"Nuclear is a dead end, high risk technology and the
proposed research and development will not realise anything for
decades. It represents a great missed opportunity for real
action at APEC," said Australian Conservation Foundation
campaigner Dave Sweeney.
"Australia's neighbours will be very concerned about
Australia being a nuclear reactor developer and a nuclear
weapons fuel exporter -- it will inflame existing regional
insecurities."
Green groups say the APEC summit will be a failure if the
leaders do not commit to binding greenhouse gas reduction
targets.
Green activists want a 30 percent cut by 2020, arguing that
if the world doubled nuclear power by 2050 it would only cut
greenhouse emissions by about 5 percent.
"Howard needs to ensure APEC builds momentum...by firm
national targets," said Peter Garrett, environment spokesman
for Australia's Labor opposition.
Howard said before APEC that the summit would not set
binding targets, but may agree on a post-Kyoto consensus.
Australia and the United States oppose the Kyoto Protocol,
arguing its binding greenhouse targets are flawed because major
polluters India and China are excluded from the protocol.