U.S. - India Nuclear Deal: Reckless on Every Score

[Henk Elegeert]

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"
U.S. - India Nuclear Deal: Reckless on Every Score

The security risks inherent in the nuclear cooperation agreement reached
yesterday between President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh far outweigh the energy benefits of the deal, according to
researchers at the Worldwatch Institute. Spending the same money on new,
clean energy options would provide greater energy security without
increasing the risk that terrorists will get their hands on new nuclear
arsenals.

The deal, if supported by the U.S. Congress, will undermine
international non-proliferation efforts at a critical time. "It's now
going to be tough to argue that Iran and North Korea should be denied
nuclear technology while India—which has failed to even join the
Non-Proliferation Treaty—is given the same technology on a silver
platter," said Worldwatch President Christopher Flavin.

Proponents claim that nuclear power will be India's ticket to energy
security and prosperity in this energy-starved country of 1.1 billion
people. India currently relies on large quantities of dirty, low-grade
domestic coal and expensive oil imports to supply its power needs.
Blackouts are a chronic problem in many regions and threaten to
constrain booming industrial development.

But according to Worldwatch's 2006 State of the World report, nuclear
power is not India's best option. Nuclear power provides only 3 percent
of the country's electricity today, and even if the 30 new nuclear
plants the government hopes to build are actually completed over the
next two decades (India has consistently fallen short on its past
nuclear ambition) nuclear would still provide only 5 percent of the
country's electricity and 2 percent of its total energy.

In Chapter 1: China, India, and the New World Order, Flavin and
Worldwatch research director Gary Gardner offer another solution:
"Renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, and biomass are far
more practical energy options for China and India. Both countries have
vast land areas that contain a large dispersed and diverse portfolio of
renewable energy sources that are attracting foreign and domestic
investment as well as political interest."

Globally, the nuclear construction business has been in decline for more
than two decades, and in terms of new plants, it is now a dead industry
in most nations, including the United States. Worldwide, nuclear power
is growing at less than 1 percent per year. By contrast, renewable
energy—wind, solar, and biofuels—is on a growth surge, averaging annual
expansion rates of 25-35 percent, as President Bush noted
enthusiastically in speeches in Colorado and Michigan last week.

Worldwide nuclear power generation increased by a mere 2 percent in 2004
(see Vital Signs 2005), while renewables surged. Grid-connected solar
photovoltaic power grew in existing capacity by 60 percent per year from
2000-2004, and wind power capacity came in second, experiencing a global
growth rate of 28 percent per year. Investment in the world's renewable
energy sector reached $30 billion in 2004, according to the Renewables
2005: Global Status Report.
"

Aan de andere kant; sinds (g)Lubbers niet wist wat ie deed, wat is het
verdrag eigenlijk nog waard ?

Henk Elegeert



Verder:
Als D66 nog iets heeft met het milieu .....
Of voor hen die er iets mee hebben ... :)

http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/paper/166

"
Worldwatch Paper #166: Purchasing Power: Harnessing Institutional
Procurement for People and the Planet


Through the things that they buy, large institutions wield great
influence over the future of our planet. Nearly every institutional
purchase, from office paper to buildings, entails hidden costs for the
natural environment and the world's people. Shifting just a portion of
that spending away from harmful goods and services to more
environmentally friendly alternatives can benefit ecosystems and
communities, save money, and send a powerful message to markets on
behalf of more sustainable options.

Around the world, forward-thinking institutions are changing their
purchasing habits to incorporate environmental concerns into all stages
of their procurements. But current activity is largely restricted to
industrial countries. Even there, few organizations realize the
tremendous potential of their purchasing to effect positive
environmental change. They also face political, legal, institutional and
other obstacles to effectively using this potential.

Although not a panacea, harnessing institutional purchasing may be one
of the most powerful tools available for shifting patterns of production
and consumption toward sustainability. A number of organizations are
working hard to push institutional purchasers to respond to rising
demands for a more sustainable world.
"

http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/download/EWP166/

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