Majority prefer renewables and efficiency over nuclear future (UK)

[jpak]

http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=10975&channel=0

An overwhelming majority of people favour the promotion of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures as the best ways to tackle climate change rather than restarting a nuclear power programme, a new poll has found.

The survey, published this week and carried out by a joint team from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and Ipsos MORI, found that 78% of respondents favoured renewables as the energy choice of the future, while 76% thought energy efficiency and lifestyle changes would be a better way of tackling emissions.

However, it also found that roughly half (54%) of respondents would be willing to accept the building of new nuclear power stations if it would definitely help to tackle climate change - a view that has been doubted by a leading scientist.

<snip>

"The survey findings suggest that, given the numbers of people who are opposed to the renewal of nuclear power, there remains considerable potential for conflict around this issue. Additionally, many of those who do accept new nuclear power for Britain do so only reluctantly, and only if renewables and other strategies are developed and used alongside," Professor Pidgeon added.

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[phantom power]

1. Interesting statistic on "lifestyle changes."

I think it was hatrack who once observed that "conservation is something that 98% of people agree that other people should embrace"
:-)

[Coastie for Truth]

4. Good point

We have a Prius and a Scion xB (mini-school bus), less then 6000 total miles a year, live in a transit village. We would have preferred that the Scion was electric or hybrid.

Test drove a mini-Cooper. I am arthritic and my wife has both osteoporosis and arthritis - along with chipped vertebrae - the Mini-Cooper was torture.

[jpak]

6. Yes, and as Dick Cheney points out

conservation is a personal virtue and not a basis for sound energy policy...

:evilgrin:

[Coastie for Truth]

2. They have been reading too much Kunstler

and not enough

<>


I support renewables, conservation, greater use of transit, transit villages (where I live), prohibitively high CAFE, electric and hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, pedestrian and transit friendly urban planning, LCD terminals over CRT terminals (97% saving in energy consumption), etc. But ... I know my thermodynamics (heck - I was a TA)

[phantom power]

3. I don't follow the connection with Kunstler

[Coastie for Truth]

5. When I met him, and heard him (and read his books and watched hs DVDs)

I found him condescendingly arrogant and elitist - and a shade too Malthusian. (And too anti-technology for my engineering mind set - when I was in college I was of the slide rule hanging from the belt, plastic pocket protector, horn rimmed glasses, crew cut genre)