Electricity should be rationed out and people should learn to be more frugal. Turn off your aircons, big tv's, laptops etc when you're not using them etc etc. We have so much sunshine - I don't understand why solar isn't being used more. Nuclear power is a disaster waiting to happen everywhere. It should be banned for good. What are you going to do with the waste? What are you going to do when earthquakes and other natural disasters happen?

Suie......yes, your quite right. We should all remind ourselves that this earth is the only one we have, and to use what we humans need each day, is only the smartest move for 100's of years to come.

Unclear power on this unstable planet is completely stupid and reckless in the eyes of those of us that can see the true dangers unclear power is.

The first link Suie, Canada and its emphasis on safety looks like unclear power just might be manageable, and yes....for short term its just great, and then some unforeseen natural event like a volcanic molten plume which can pop up just about anywhere and especially near or around the rim of fire.........just ask Japan where to build one.....lol......you would think top scientists in the field of UNCLEAR PHYSICS would of asked a geologist where to build a safe plant, but there you go, communication break-down maybe, oh dear.

100 million years and its still deadly as, and just one big mishap......bigger than Japans screw up, and this planet will become worthless.

Something for all of us to think about.

CACTUS

Thank you, Tom Quirk, for another excellent article. I have a few comments:

1. Your point about the relevance of the energy density of coal versus yellow cake is worth highlighting. It takes 20,000 coal shippings to send the same amount of energy as one shipping of yellow cake. Which would we prefer: 20,000 shippings of coal through the Great Barrier Reef or one shipping of yellow cake out of Darwin?

2. There are other reasons Australia is probably the best place in the world to manage used nuclear fuel (it is not waste because we will reuse it in the future to recover the remaing 90% of available energy we haven’t used yet): Australia is tectonically stable and there are very large areas of inland Australia with suitable geology, with low topographic relief and inland drainage. Low topographic relief means ground water flow is slow, so even if there was a leak, any contamination would travel very slowly. Inland drainage means any leak would not get out to sea even if the leak got into surface water.

3. I agree, Australia is missing an enormous economic opportunity. Also we are missing the opportunity to provide a good service to other nations who are not as well placed as Australia to manage used nuclear fuel.

ONKALO (Hiding Place)

Tiny Finland is the only nation making a serious attempt at high level storage.

"Onkalo must last at least one hundred thousand years,
yet nothing built by man has lasted even a tenth of that time."

"If you in the future come across this,
.... what will it tell you .... about us?"

Great Sunday viewing, but you'll need a good sound system:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5llAUQL9Wkk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywUpmHVH8Xw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5anOS8mzQ8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfVs07XZOeQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GS6NIoZuAlY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlFswXPpgNw&feature=related